Family Jewels
by x Ruby Dust x
Summary: Sequel to 'League of Pirates' The treasure of 'Atlantis' is gone, spent away on the pirating life. The league is back and madder then hell. How will Capt. Jack get out of this one? And what secret is Trinity holding over Liz? JackOC WillLiz
1. Prolog and Three Month Reunion

**if you're reading this and you have yet to read the prequel (i hope i used that right) called "League of Pirates", i highly recommend that you stop what you're doing and read that one first. this story may be a bit confusing if you don't. if that's what situation you're in... i warned you.**

**Pirates of the Caribbean Family Jewels**

**Prolog: **

Jack had landed Trinity, like he had promised himself he would. He different reasons for it though. Before he had wanted to land Trinity to keep her safe. It turned out that he landed her to keep their child safe.

It had been three months since Jack had seen his own son. Jaden was everything to Jack. That little seven year old boy could really turn out to be a good pirate one day. But Jack wasn't sure that's what he wanted for his child, and he knew it wasn't what Trinity had wanted.

Back to Port Royal, and back to his son. This is what Jack thought of as The Black Pearl crashed against waves, fighting the makings of a storm.

He would bring Trinity and Jaden with him this time. Jaden was old enough for an adventure, although Trinity would most likely make him stay onboard at all times, and he knew that his wife was ready to get off land all-to-well.

It had been even longer since Jack had seen his friends Will and Elizabeth. When Jack had dropped off Trinity, Elizabeth wished to stay in Port Royal, too. This prompted Will to stay. Jack made it a point to visit them.

Of course this would have to happen in a hasty fashion, as always, but he hoped he could drag it out as long as possible.

**Chapter One: Three Month Reunion**

The crew members of the Black Pearl let down anchor behind a wall of rock. This was to conceal the ship from view of Port Royal while still being close enough the row a boat to the shore. That is exactly what Jack did. Once onshore, he climbed up the hill towards his wife's house. He could see her, up on the widow's walk, staring back down at him. She left her position at a breakneck speed and rushed to greet him.

Jaden had been playing on the beach in the back of the house. He was up to his waist in the water, wooden boat figurines circling around him. "Captain!" the little boy yelled, rushing towards his father.

That's what Jack loved best about his son. Jaden had always refused to call him 'dad' or 'daddy' and had insisted on calling him 'captain'. Trinity thought it was a tad bit informal and untraditional, but Jack loved that someone would always call him 'captain'.

Jack picked Jaden up, placing him on his hip. "What'd you bring me this time, Captain?" he smiled.

"Yes, what did you bring him this time, Jack?" Trinity had a sly smirk set upon her face. Jack placed his son down and moved on to Trinity. He cradled her in his arms, kissing her.

"I've missed you, Green Eyes."

Trinity hated when he called her that, but she knew that someone always would. It was such a tragedy when her brother-like figure, Kydd, had passed away. The boy never was good with a cutlass, but he thought he had something to prove when he started that bar fight. Trinity hadn't been there, but the news was still that crushing when Jack had told her.

"Come inside before you get caught." She wiggled away from him, walking through the threshold to the house. Jack followed, only stopping a moment to tell Jaden to pick up his toys and come inside as well.

The darkness of night had fallen quickly after that. Jaden was tucked away in his bed, and Trinity had just made some tea. Of course, being the pirate she was, added some sort of alcohol to strengthen it. "Tell me of your adventures." Jack was sitting across from her at the table. He delightfully sipped his tea, savoring the enormous amount of liquor added.

"Nothing much to tell. But I have a surprise for you."

Trinity looked amused. She stared at him over her cup, watching the smug look on his face add a smile. "Jack Sparrow, you better tell me right now. You know I don't like surprises."

"I'm taking you with me this time."

Trinity spat out her drink.

"We leave tomorrow after nightfall. I have sent word for William to come by."

"You're really taking me then? Us, I mean us. Jaden as well?"

"Yes. But I have to ask. Honestly, do you think William would consider coming?" Trinity once again spat out her drink, this time in Jack's direction. "Remind me to never talk to you when you're drinking, eh?" Jack winced, whipping himself off.

"Jack," her eyes were apologetic, "you aren't really thinking of asking Will, are you?"

"Why?"

"Well if Will goes, Elizabeth's going to want to go. If Elizabeth goes, then she'll bring Avery."

"Who's Avery?" Jack noticed the fire dying down. He proceeded to put another log on.

"Their daughter, Jack!" Trinity scoffed, pulling out her chair and standing, "You really do miss to much when you're away. Like I was saying, Elizabeth will want to come and she'll have to bring Avery."

"Your point?" Jack was beginning to feel the affects of the liquor.

"My point is that it would be like a day-care on the ship. Jaden is fine by himself, Jack, but Avery is a bit on the hyper-active side. You know, spoiled by all the wealth. Her and Jaden don't get along to well."

"Well I need another crew member. I've lost to many as it were. Will was under my command once before, he knows the ropes."

"Why can't you just recruit out of Tortuga like everyone else?" Trinity was tired of arguing.

**i admit that it jack is a tad,...hell, who am i kidding,...way out of character here. even my OC's out of character here. but it gets better once he's onboard the Black Pearl again... please r&r**


	2. Afternoon Tea

**Chapter Two: Afternoon Tea**

Jack had asked Trinity, beyond her better judgement, if she would go and speak with Will on his behalf. Apparently talking to Will was important to him, why Trinity didn't know. So she did as she was told. She contacted Elizabeth and arranged to have a brunch type of meeting with the couple.

As she walked through the garden of Elizabeth's father's mansion, she couldn't help but wonder why anyone would want to give that up to be a pirate. One of Elizabeth's servants had led her to a small table on the terrace. Trinity took a seat, situating herself as comfortably as she could. Even though she despised it, Trinity was sporting a gown for this meeting. She thought it was only appropriate for a meeting at the governor's home.

Elizabeth appeared from behind the large french doors, Will at her side with their daughter in his arms. Trinity stood, hugging her friends for a brief hello, then sat back down. She was hoping to be here for only as long as necessary.

"Shall we?" Trinity asked politely for the others to join her at the table. Avery jumped from her father's arms and ran into a flower bed, singing along the way.

"Yes, what do we owe this pleasant surprise?" Will smiled. Elizabeth had taken her eyes from Avery for only a moment to nod. She was wondering the same thing.

"Ah, it wouldn't be so pleasant if Jack was here?" Trinity kidded, folding her hands in her lap.

"Where is Jack now-a-days?" Elizabeth also smiled.

Trinity didn't like this situation. She watched as Elizabeth's eyes darted from her daughter, to Will, to Trinity, to guards on the balcony, and back to Avery. Trinity was aware of how close she was to Royal guards and it was making her uncomfortable. "That part is not important." Will understood. He knew she wouldn't want to talk about Jack's whereabouts with all the guards around. He nodded and waited for her to continue. "Will, I was wondering if you could meet me at my house. Say tomorrow? Of course Elizabeth is welcome to come as well."

"That sounds like a good idea. We haven't had a visit in a long time, and you seem anxious to be on your way now. Let's say around dawn?" Elizabeth now had her full attention on her guest.

"Excellent. And I am sorry I cannot stay longer. You understand that I am a bit rushed? See you tomorrow then." Trinity eased her way out of the chair, but walked as fast as she could out of the gate.

Meanwhile, Jack was back at the beach house, waiting for Trinity's return. Jaden was sitting at the table, reading a book that Jack had brought him from a raid. Jack found his son's interests in books amusing. He, himself, had never taken to the written word. Mostly because he was too drunk to even walk straight, let alone read a grouping of words in a row.

Jaden expression changed with every paragraph. That's what Jack found most entertaining. Sometimes he would ask his son what he read about that day, and Jaden would literally act it out for him. Thinking not to disturb him now, Jack put on his jacket and stepped outside.

Trinity was coming up the beach, simultaneously. "Jack Sparrow, get in that damn house!" she scolded.

"Captain." Jack mumbled under his breath.He was sure she didn't hear him though.

_He should know better than to be out in broad daylight! _She thought to herself as she slammed the door behind her. "I talked to them. They're coming tomorrow."

"Good. Good." Jack replied. He knew what she was going to ask next and was hoping to avoid it. He turned to say something to Jaden, But Trinity stepped in his line of vision.

"Jack Sparrow,"

_Uh-oh, _Jack thought, _she full named me twice. She must really be mad._

"Captain!" Jaden protested, not looking from his book.

"Jaden, go finish that in your room." Trinity snapped. Jaden did as his mother told. "Now Jack, tell me what the hell is going on."

"Nothing." He was doing a bad job of hiding it.

"Don't you lie to me, Jack. You asked me to go over there this morning, and I did. Now I'm asking you why I had to go over there and you're going to tell me."

Jack was slowly backing away, But ever step he took Trinity matched. He was back up against a counter, there was no where else to go. Trinity crossed her arms, waiting for him to explain. Jack had no escape. He had to tell her. "Now, love, can you promise me you won't hurt me?"

"We're pirates, Jack. Do you really think you can trust my answer."

She had a point. Jack took a deep breath. "Okay. Well, seeing as how you're already mad, why not? I'm going to say this quick and to the point. The treasure's gone."

"What!" Trinity's hands flew to her sides with clenched fists. She was unbelievably close to hitting him.

"The men got a little drunk at a pirating port."

"So you let them blow the whole lot on prostitutes and whole barrels of liquors!" Jack winced. "And more?"

"You mean technically or metaphorically?"

Trinity's eyes were blaring with rage. All the trouble she had gone through to get that treasure, and now it was all gone. Her eyes narrowed as a thought hit her. "And why do you need Will?"

Jack was hugging his arms to himself, nervous to continue. "Well...you see...about a week after we spent the treasure, I heard from good authority that...Blackbeard wants it back. Seeing as how we stole it from him and the rest."

Trinity had gone into shock. She was having a panic attack. Something was happening, and she found herself not being able to breathe. "Who's 'good authority'?" she managed to gasp.

"A man I know who owns a pub knows a man who runs an inn who frequently puts up a man who works for a man who knows a pirate who sails under the command of one of the league members."

"And was he drunk?"

"Which one?"

"Does it matter."

"No, I guess not. And most likely he was drunk. Whoever we're talking about."

"So this maybe a fairy-tale? Something someone conjured up to add to the legend of Captain Jack Sparrow?"

Jack beamed. She had remembered to call him 'Captain' this time. "We can hope, love."


	3. Girl Fight

**Chapter Three: Girl Fight**

Dawn was such a convenient time. It was cool outside because the sun hadn't risen fully yet. So much work could be done and you would never be uncomfortable from the heat. Then there was the other good part about dawn. It was like sundown, you could conceal things in the darkness as people where still groggy from sleep, or to tired to notice. Like Jack, for instance. Dawn was the only time Trinity would let him out of the house. That and nightfall. He would walk about the beach and not care if anyone saw him. If they did, they certainly wouldn't notice _who _he was.

Trinity was still asleep, as was Jaden. She would be getting up soon, then she would prepare breakfast. That was one reason Trinity didn't despise Jack for landing her. Once on land, she had to learn to cook, and she learned that she loved it.

Jack sat next to the water, staring out at the rock wall hiding the Black Pearl from view. It had been a days since Jack had been on deck. He was beginning to feel that he had worn out his welcome. He would send word for the crew immediately. Well, not immediately, that would require getting up at this second. He would do it later,... or eventually.

He wasn't sure whether he really wanted to leave now though. He had made plans to leave after nightfall, but something was holding him here. A bad feeling. Jack didn't get bad feelings very often, but when he did something bad really did happen.

First the mutiny, then Trinity was almost...

No. He was being paranoid. He shouldn't stay longer. He _couldn't_ stay any longer. The sea and the Pearl was calling to him. He usually answered that call.

Will and Elizabeth had taken the beach route to the house. Jack stood and wiped the sand from himself. _That is one of the perks of being away at sea. No bloody sand sticking to every which-where. _Jack smiled to himself. He greeted his friends and invited them into the house. Unfortunately, the sun was rising rapidly and Jack's confinement would soon commence.

Trinity was up and about. She was busying herself in the kitchen and had hardly noticed her guests. Jack coughed to get her attention. When she had finally stopped bumbling about, she said her hello by placing plates of food on the table. "Be careful, it's hot." she smirked. Will pulled out a chair for Elizabeth and then seated himself. Trinity swaggered over to her husband and leaned on his shoulder. "What a gentlemen." she whispered in Jack's ear.

"Bloody pirates, eh?" he laughed, seating himself. Trinity did the same, but she wasn't interested in eating.

"Elizabeth, dear, I think we should discuss something. If you wouldn't mind joining me outside for a moment. I promise the food won't go cold." She was finding it hard to smile.

"Of course." Elizabeth finished he last bite then stood and followed Trinity out back onto the beach. "What is this about."

"I want to warn you, seeing as how you and I think alike." Trinity stared at Elizabeth, who returned to gaze.

"Warn me? About what?"

"About what Jack is telling Will. About what Jack is about to ask of Will." Elizabeth waited for her to continue, obviously confused. "You remember the treasure that we just sort of took last time we were on deck? The one that had to do with 'Atlantis' or some nonsense like that?"

"Yes, I remember very well. We risked our lives for that more than once." Elizabeth cringed. She could imagine it like it was yesterday, even though it was seven years ago.

"Yes well, it's ...gone."

"What?"

"That was my reaction. But it turns out, there is a rumor going around that Blackbeard wants it back. Since it's all spent, God knows what he'll do if the rumor's true."

"Spent? On what?"

"The pirating life. What did you think?"

"So you meant to tell me that we risked my neck and yours just so Jack can hire an ungodly amount of prostitutes and spend all he could on food and drink while you and your son sit here and wait for him?"

Trinity found her hands clenched at her sides. One unraveled from it's firm grip only long enough to spread quickly across Elizabeth's cheek, then returned to her side. Elizabeth held the side of her face, bewildered that Trinity had actually just slapped her.

"Don't you dare insult my family!"

Elizabeth was now fully aware that this was becoming more than a friendly squabble. "Well then how do you explain _your husband's _lack of responsibility and morale?"

"He's a pirate!"

"That's your excuse for everything, Trinity! _He's a pirate, I'm a pirate_, . . . . is that all you can come up with!" Elizabeth mocked, waving her hands a s she talked.

"It's not an excuse! It's a reason for you not to expect anything from me! Like right now. Right now you're thinking that it's okay for you to mock me. But your are forgetting one thing. I may be on land now, but I still have the heart of a pirate. If I had a weapon, I'd kill you where you stand."

Elizabeth looked horrified. Her eyes quickly darted around Trinity's figure, making sure she didn't have a weapon. Then she frantically looked around her surroundings, making sure that she would be able to defend herself with something if such an occasion occurred. There was nothing.

Surely Trinity would've noticed how uneasy she'd become. She had to be careful of what she said next. "You'd kill me? But I thought we were..."

"What? Friends? I'm a bleedin' pirate, Elizabeth! Pirates don't have 'friends'. Hell, I can't even trust my ruddy weasel of a husband!" she yelled. "Or is that too much an excuse?"

Elizabeth had had enough. No way was she going to stand here and be talked to like this. She was, after all, the governor's daughter. "Of course you can't trust him! He's an unfaithful, ungodly, bad excuse for a human being."

Trinity had grabbed her by the throat. "I never expected Jack to be completely faithful to me. He's gone for months, even years at a time, dammit! But that doesn't mean that he doesn't love me! So you listen here, lass. Jack probably has thousands of illegitimate children all over the world, but he chose me. He chose me and he chose Jaden. And want to know something else?" Trinity released her, seeing her face was turning purple. Back in the day, she would've held on, but she couldn't bare herself to do it this time. Instead, she started pacing rapidly, like a tiger about to pounce.

She stopped and stared Elizabeth down, watching the fear in her eyes. It amused her to no extent. "At least Jack is Jaden's father. But Will isn't Avery's, is he?"

Trinity found her mouth curving into a sly smile. Blackmailing was her favorite part of the pirating life.


	4. Getting Her Way

**Chapter Four: Getting Her Way**

Will had come out of the house in a blind rage. "That's absurd, Jack. I can't! I won't!"

"But dear William..."

"No, Jack. I have a daughter to think about now. I can't just pick up on a whim every time you get in a jam."

This hit a nerve with Jack. Everything Will had just said was implying that regardless of his son and wife, the two most important people alive to him, he could easily just gather a few things and leave on a whim. This was not the case. Every time he had to utter the words "goodbye" then kiss Trinity for the last time for months at a time... even thinking about it was killing him. Trinity knew it hurt him. That was the reason she let him leave so often without begging to come along. That, and he couldn't stay in Port Royal. Jack's heart was with his family, but it was also with the ocean. He was going to unite the two now.

There was that, but Will was also implying that Jack was a bad father. It would have been true if Will said Jack wasn't much of a father because Jack was so scarcely around. But a "bad" father? That was a low-blow. Jack wasn't a bad father. He always thought about Jaden. He kept pictures jaden had drawn for him in his lock box on the ship. And Jack always made sure he came back with some sort of gift for his son. He cherished every moment with Jaden. If that made him a bad father, then Jack would openly admit it.

He stepped forward, towards Will, about to scold his former crew member. Trinity stopped him, raising a hand. The smile was still perched on her face. "Now Will, let's not make a hasty decision." she placed her hands on her hips and turned towards Elizabeth, although still directing the conversation towards Will. "I may be able to change your mind."

"No, Trinity. Absolutely not. Jack has already pled his case and..."

"But Jack hasn't told you everything, has he? You see Will, I have recently come into the possession of some very valuable information. Something that may make you want to rid yourself of Port Royal forever."

Elizabeth panicked. She ran up to Will, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Will, I think we should do it. One last time?"

Will was confused. He copied her position, but looked at her as if she was one gold-deblume short of a treasure chest. "You don't know what you're saying, Elizabeth."

"I do. I know that you've been waiting for the moment you could get back on a ship. You're a pirate, Will, it's in your blood..." she was making it up and it was working.

"No... no Elizabeth. I can't." Will was shaking his head, trying to convince himself that she was wrong.

"Please, Will!" Elizabeth was practically screaming. She could feel Trinity's cold stare on the back of her head. "I want to!"

Jack was standing next to his wife with his arm thrown loosely around her neck. "My, my. Such a fuss. There really must be said information, then?" his mouth was right next to her ear and he talked in a whisper.

"Of course there is. I must say that I'm enjoying this immensely."

"Care to share what information this might be?"

"I've gone five years without telling a single sole. I'm not about to mess that up now. I'm sure you'll find out in due time though. Elizabeth is strong willed, she won't take kindly to this much longer."

"Well, whatever it was, you sure frightened her out of her bodice." her pulled her closer and kissed the side of her head. The two of them stood and watched as Will and Elizabeth struggled to reach an agreement. Finally, Will hugged Elizabeth, but she didn't hug him back. "It would seem," Jack continued a little louder this time, "that yonder strumpet has gotten her way."

"No," Trinity was now giggling from pure joy, "I have."

**short and to the point. what do you guys think so far? please review and tell me what's on your mind.**

**read on and rock out, xRubyDustx**


	5. Back to the Pearl

**Chapter Five: Back to the Pearl **

Jaden was beyond words when he found out he was going to get to be on a pirate ship. He had never been on one, mostly because Trinity wouldn't let him. She had been a pirate her entire life and she didn't want that for her son. It was too dangerous for him.

But Trinity also had to admit that she couldn't wait to hear the heels of her boots on the wooden deck. The sight and sounds of the ocean. The ocean spray. Just thinking about it was sending chills up her spine. And the thought of her blackmail.

It had been a long time, a LONG time, since Trinity felt this ruthless. She supposed it was because her aggression and carelessness was masked last time she had shared the ship with Elizabeth. Masked by the fear that it was all a dream. That she would wake up screaming, Jack would still be dead, there would be no treasure, and more importantly, no Pearl.

When she was rowing towards the ship in the long boat, her son clinging to her sides, she couldn't help but put herself in a dreamy state. Her dream was real, and better yet, in sight.

Trinity was the first to walk on the deck, out of the group. Then the children. Trinity didn't like it, but Elizabeth had brought Avery along. The entire time in the long boat, she had been screaming her guts out. _Spoiled brat, _Trinity cringed as she brushed past the little girl,_ doesn't belong here._

Elizabeth saw the look of disgust on Trinity's face. She first made sure that Will was nowhere to be found, then marched up to her blackmailer. The sun had set some hours ago, so the only light was given off from oil lamps hanging precariously around their heads. Elizabeth thought that it added to the drama. "You're cruel." she gritted her teeth, staring directly at her.

"And unusual." Trinity mocked with a smile.

"I never thought _you'd_ have such a black heart."

"Black heart, black guts, . . . all pirate qualities, my dear." Elizabeth soon saw that Trinity would never take this conversation as more that a joke. She turned and stormed away, Avery screaming at her heels. "And please do shut her up! Do you want to be hanged?" Trinity yelled at her, watching her own child prance around the deck. Never had he looked so much like Jack. Speaking of Jack...

"That was a bit harsh, love. Amusing, but harsh all the same."

"The wench should be so lucky. I saved her from being raped, killed even, on that adventure. She owes me. I thought she'd realize that, but I guess there are only so many marbles in the world, eh?" Trinity crossed her arms across her chest. Jack didn't reply. Usually he would have a witty reply. She looked at him. His eyebrows were raised practically to his hairline in a bewildered state. "And you didn't know about that and I just... ah shit."

Jack didn't respond, just turned and walked towards his cabin. Trinity followed, feeling that she should explain.

Will, however, felt that Elizabeth had some explaining of her own to do. He saw her heading back towards their old cabin, and stopped her by putting a hand on her shoulder. "I think we need to have a word." He smiled at Avery tugging at the bottom of his pants. He reached down and picked her up.

"Is now really a good time? I'm just so tired and Avery..." she was trying to dodge him, he could tell.

"It will be brief. I just want to know the real reason you wanted to come back to all this." Will cocked his head so far that it was almost placed on his shoulder.

"I just knew you missed it..." Every word out of her mouth was so unsure. She couldn't tell Will the truth. It would kill him. To tell him that he wasn't Avery's real father... that wasn't an option. Not now, at least.

"You really did this for me? Because you're acting like it's making you nervous."

He was making an excuse for her! "Yes, I am a bit. With Avery here and all, I mean. I never really did want her exposed to all this. Trinity and I talked. She told me all about how she hated Jack never being around, but not being able to stay away from the sea. But I'm rambling. I just didn't want you to despise me later in life for holding you down..." she was out of breathe and out of imaginative excuse.

Will noticed Avery asleep on his shoulder and carefully hugged Elizabeth with his free arm so not to wake her. "I would never despise you."

_You might one day... _Elizabeth thought. No one had ever unnerved her this much. But she had never had such a big secret. Now she was certain that one day she would be forced to tell him, she just hoped it wasn't anytime soon, and without the help of Trinity.

**okay... starting to run out of fuel here. i really would enjoy some reviews on how it is so far so i know i'm entertaining at least one person out there. advice? come on guys... we're writers, not SHEEP! please review, even if the sheep thing went over your head, ask what it's about. curiosity only killed the cat once after all, it still had eight lives left... now i'm just rambling. but seriously **

**I NEED SOME FEEDBACK!**


	6. Kydd's Belongings

**Chapter Six: Kydd's Belongings**

"There is a small matter I need you to tend to." Jack paced, watching his wife's gaze nervously. He knew she would refuse, but it was best if she did the deed herself. He knew she needed closure. "Kydd's death was a sad day for all of us. He was a good pirate and a better man. He had grown on this ship, unfortunately so did his effects."

"What are you saying Jack?" she didn't need to ask Trinity knew what was coming, and she certainly didn't need that. Jack was going to ask her to dispose of Kydd's things. Never in her dreams could she bring herself to do that.

He helped her up form her sitting position and held her close to him. Jack could remember when he had told her about the death. She had cried for days, unaware she was almost ignoring their own son. He parted them, careful not to baby her too much. He held her arm's length, clasping her shoulders. "How about I do it, and you watch?" he responded sarcastically. There was a smirk perched on his face. The same one he had every time he thought he was being charming.

"Fine!" Trinity turned her back form him. She played with the rings on her finger, twisting and turning them nervously. She could imagine Jack going through Kydd's things. He would treat them as any other dead sailors, take what looked good then dump the rest over board. Kydd deserved more than that. "Show me where his things are."

Jack took her to his office. On the large oak desk, there was a brown lock box with a broken lock. Jack let Trinity in before him, watched her sit behind the desk, then closed the door so she could do it alone. He waited outside the door, his ear pressed tight to hear any sign of something. What that something would be, he didn't know.

Trinity picked up the box and set in her lap. Her fingers trembled as she lifted the top up and over. Once looking at the contents, she wondered why it seemed so heavy, there was hardly anything to look at. First some extra money. Jack could want to keep that. She set the coin purse aside and continued to pull out scrolls and parchment.

One scroll was a picture drawn by a very good artist. It was of his home town, where he had wondered the streets before meeting Jack. There was a boy standing in the street. He looked familiar.

Her skin began to crawl, Trinity's heart was fluttering. She looked at the little boy's dingy clothes and dirt sprawled over every inch of his body. His mussed and matted hair, and his dark eyes. She realized it was Kydd as a child. She saw the blank expression in his picture. He had looked at her that way before. The picture looked just like him the last time she set sights on him.

That had made her upset. She could almost feel his gaze on her. His cold, dead, eyes just watching her going through his things. She could almost hear him.

No. She only thought she could. Kydd was dead, and that was that. But... she had thought that about Jack before. No. There was no hope this time. Kydd's neck was slashed in a bar fight._ There was evidence of his death_, she reminded herself. Shaken up, she trudged through the rest of the contents. A letter he had written. To a girl, maybe? A parchment with nothing but a number scrawled in his writing. A piece of cloth. Red cloth. One that looked strangely like a pattern that used to be on her favorite red dress. "Jack!" she yelled, knowing that Jack would be waiting for her outside the door.

He walked in the room, seeing Trinity was on her feet with the box and it's contents spilled across the floor. "Look." she held out the cloth.

Jack took the red piece and ran his fingers over it. He didn't know how to tell her that he was the one who cut up her favorite dress when he was in the process of getting the Pearl back. When Barbossa wasn't looking, he slipped into his old cabin and into Trinity's wardrobe. He thought that if her things were still onboard, that maybe she was too. It ended up that Barbossa was just sick, and kept Trinity's clothes to outfit his "company" from Tortuga. He cut enough of the material to wrap around his head, under the concealment of his hat, and had been wearing it ever since. Apparently Trinity hadn't noticed that. But how did Kydd get a piece?

"Did you know he did this?"

"No." Jack was fiddling with his hat, trying to fit it as tight as he could.

Trinity took the cloth back and held it to her chest. She wouldn't cry. She learned how to stop that. "He always did compliment that dress. It's the only one I liked to wear."

"I remember." Jack mumbled. His thumbs were hanging from parts of his belt, and he was leaning on the heels of his boots. "So..." he didn't know how to phrase this lightly, "did you finish yet?"

Trinity glared at him. "Nearly." she snapped. She bent over to pick the box up, rising slowly. She was fully aware that Jack was watching her actions with one thought on his mind. She rose slowly merely for his enjoyment. Then something caught her eye.

The box had landed on it's base when she knocked it off her lap, the lid still carelessly open. All it's contents were spilled out, but there was still a small red ribbon hanging through the bottom crease. Trinity turned the box over in her hands. There was no ribbon on the other side. "There's a false bottom!" she screamed. She didn't mean to scream, she was just in shock.

"There is?"

"Get me something to jar this open with, Jack."

Without wasting a moment, Jack grabbed a letter opener, which he rarely used, and started prying open the bottom of the box. Only a few seconds of maneuvering and digging and the bottom was out. Laying in the bottom of the box was a leather bound book with a red ribbon sticking out as a page marker. Trinity pushed Jack aside and cracked the cover open. "What is it?" Jack was trying to peer over her shoulders.

"It looks like a... a journal?" She leafed through the pages, looking at the dates and scribble that Kydd called writing. The ribbon was sticking out of page with the last entry. There was no date.

"Well?"

Trinity read aloud:

**Not really sure what day it is. We've been at sea for weeks now, searching for the "big payout" as Teach put it. Jack is determined to be the first so he can get the biggest share, but other ships have showed up and the wind is failing. My plan worked. I told Green Eyes about Morgan eyeing her in the cove the other day, and she bought it. Like I knew she would, she came up with a plan to stop Morgan's ship. When him and Teach first approached me in the Dancing Knave, I thought it would be crazy to betray Captain Jack and Green Eyes like this. But when Anne Bonny provided a distraction for them, and Teach explained his plan, It got me thinking about my options. Even though Green Eyes had been so good to me, that captain of mine would obviously only give me a crew members share. I can't have that. I need the money. So I took Teach up on his offer. It feels kind of funny, but when I think about how much treasure I'll be gettin, I think it's worth it. Green Eyes didn't disappoint either. She even disobeyed Jack to do what she thought was best, even though Morgan knew something was coming. Him or Rackham. Even after she got back from her _plan, _Jack did just as I thought he would. Of course hearing the captain was landing her was only a myth, I had to find out for myself. So I acted all concerned when I asked Jack about it. Not before I messed with Green Eyes a bit more, though. I told her I wanted her. That she would be better off with me seein as how her and Jack split. No more plans were going to be coming from her. We should be at the treasure soon. Then Teach says he'll find some way to off Jack and Trinity. God, I hate that name. Trinity. It just makes me mad thinking about it. And she wonders why I always call her Green Eyes. **

The rest was unreadable.

_A/N: i'm tryin to reel you guys in... what do you think? let's recap, shall we? Elizabeth has a child that Will thinks is his but isn't. Who the father is will be revealed soon. Trinity finds out that one person she cared for most, has actually betrayed her, and Jack finds out that Kydd was behind the almost drowning (sorry, really tired and i can't think of better phraseology) of Trinity. getting good yet? let me know!_


	7. Oil Lamp Lighting

**Chapter Seven: Oil Lamp Lighting**

Will sat awake that night. Elizabeth was asleep with her arms wrapped around Avery. He sat in a chair on the side of the bed, staring at them. For some reason, he didn't want to sleep. Whenever Will was asleep, he felt as though he were in a different world, a different reality. He used sleep as an escape mechanism whenever he didn't want to deal with the life he had chosen. He didn't want to run away to his different world tonight. He needed to figure out what was wrong with this one.

He loved both his wife and his daughter unconditionally, but things have been a bit off lately. He had noticed that right away. So many questions he needed answered. Elizabeth was the only one who could answer those questions, but she was patronizing him. Nobody else but Elizabeth could calm his wondering mind. Unless...

Elizabeth had first acted jumpy when Trinity mentioned the information Jack hadn't told him. Something about making him want to leave Port Royal forever? Could Trinity know what's going on?

Will got up suddenly, unaware what he was about to do. He found his feet walking with a purpose. He exited the cabin and marched straight for the cabin Jack shared with Trinity. Disappointed to find no one there, he began slinking back to his chair at the bedside. Then he heard it. Trinity's scream ran through the air like a knife. It wasn't a scream of fear, though. She was mad at something. Very, _very_ mad. Will hoped it wasn't directed towards Jack. His feet changed course as he now headed directly for Jack's office.

They were standing, in the middle of the room, in front of Jack's desk. Trinity's face was beet-red, and Jack was also fuming. Together, there were things thrown and words said that Will didn't want to repeat. He figured he shouldn't get caught up in it. But then he heard Kydd's name used with profanity. That made him wonder.

"That greasy-hair, no good, grog scarfing, brat!" Trinity continuasly yelled at the top of her lungs. "If he wasn't dead, I'd kill him myself! Slit his goddam throat then throw him to the sharks!"

_Dead? Was Kydd dead? _Will thought, stepping slowly farther away from the door. Jack had thrown something solid against the door which caused the stained glass to shatter.

The commotion had woken up Avery who, ironically, is a very light sleeper. "Daddy?" she rubbed her eyes and she stopped at his feet. Will shushed her and listened once again.

Once again, all that was said was profanities. Will was sure Elizabeth wouldn't be happy if she knew Avery had been here to hear them. He picked up his daughter and placed her on his hip, then slowly made his way back to their cabin.

She had fallen asleep again by the time they had reached their destination. Will laid her on his side of the bed, sure that he wasn't going to be doing much sleeping. He sat back in the chair and lit a small oil lamp on a table next to him. It was bright enough for him to read, but still dark enough not to wake anyone. That's when Will noticed.

The lighting had given Will the perfect opportunity to admire his daughter's beauty. The way the oil lamp cast light on her face was giving off her good features. She had looked exactly like Elizabeth with few other traits looking different. But he noticed that the few other traits didn't look like him.

**a/n: thought i'd even out the last chapter with a shorter one. man, i don;t want to toot my own horn, but i should write when im tired more often.. anyway, of to the last of dream for me... nighty-night, sleep tight, and all that jazz**


	8. Vindictive

**Chapter Eight: Vindictive**

Trinity had spent the entire night pacing furiously. Jack had managed to find some way to sleep, but Trinity couldn't bring herself to close her eyes. She was hurt, betrayed by someone she loved dearly. She had cried when he died. She wanted those tears back.

Pacing seemed to be hard at first. The remnants of Jack's office was everywhere. Jack was passed out on his desk, snoring heavily. Trinity cleared a path over to him, then heeled her husband in the side. No way was she going to be gentle towards anyone until she had gotten over her anger.

Jack snapped up straight, rubbing his mouth which had been drooling slightly. "Wake up!" Trinity ordered.

"I already am!" Jack yelled back. He, too, was still as irate as the night before.

"Set a course for Tortuga." Trinity covered her face with her hands. She couldn't believe what she was about to do, but she wanted justice for this.

"Tortuga? But..."

"I know, Jack. Just do it!"

"And what, might I ask, are you going to do in Tortuga? That is, if you can muster up enough courage to step foot there." A small smile had crept onto Jack's sleepy expression. He remembered Tortuga well. Hell, had been there only a few short weeks ago. Now _that _had been fun.

"I'm going to track down the man that killed Kydd. Then I'm going to buy him a drink." Jack's smile spread across his face like wild-fire. "I think I can gather enough wit for that."

Jack sauntered out towards his first mate, Mr. Gibbs. "Set a course for Tortuga." his toothy grin still in position.

Gibbs smiled back. "Aye, what put you in such a fine mood, Jack? Only last night you and the missus over there were yelling somethin' fierce."

"A bit of vindicated planning towards a certain former crew member."

"I 'eard you talkin' about Kydd. But Cap'em, how do you get revenge on a dead man?"

"Not revenge, as it were. More like a substantiating matter. The man who off'ed our no longer beloved cook will get what's coming to him."

Gibbs wasn't quite sure what Jack was getting at, so he just kept smiling and nodding.

Did Elizabeth hear him clearly? Tortuga? But Trinity hated going there. Mr. Gibbs had left Jack's company and was screaming out orders to the rest of the crew. "Jack? Tortuga?"

"Tortuga."

"But..." Elizabeth was about to disapprove but thought better of it. If Jack had planned a course for Tortuga, Trinity must have known about it. If Trinity was willing to go, there was no stopping Jack. She hadn't noticed, but her mouth was gapping open in shock, though.

"Please shut your mouth, Ms. Turner. No need to be catching flies." Trinity had the journal placed firmly in her grip. She wasn't going to let it out of her sight, she wanted to read the rest.

"But you said that..."

"I know what I said, Elizabeth. But this is a matter of utmost importance. It involves rum."

"Clearly Elizabeth isn't aware of the importance of rum, seeing as how she tends to burn it." Jack wrapped on arm around Trinity's waste and held the other in the air like he was toasting something.

Elizabeth stalked away with a scowl on her face. It wasn't the first time and wouldn't be the last that she was the butt of a pirate joke. Her hands were clenched into tight fists and her sides and she was literally stomping towards the galley to find the one pirate that never made fun of her. She found her husband instead.

He was sitting at the table, looking through stacks of papers that were littering the table. Will looked up when she entered. "Where's Kydd?" she asked in a small voice.

"He's dead."

Elizabeth took a step back and brought her hand up to clamp her chest in disbelief. "How?"

"I don't know. All I found were these recipes." Will held up the papers in his hands. He couldn't help but wonder if Elizabeth would be this shocked if he was suddenly dead. _Of course she would be, _he scolded himself, _she's my wife and she loves me._ He wanted to comment on his finding last night, that his daughter looked nothing like him, but he could see that she was physically upset already. He would spare her feelings for now and ask at a later time. "I heard Jack and Trinity cursing his name last night."

"About what?"

"I'm not sure. I saw Trinity holding some sort of book and Jack chucking things. Then Avery came out and I thought it best not to let her hear some of the vulgar things they were saying."

"Good thing." Elizabeth nodded. Then it came to her. "Was it a large, brown, leather book?"

"I'm not sure. Why?"

"Because she was holding that book not all five minutes ago. I wonder what it is. Maybe that's why she wants to sail to Tortuga."

"We're going to Tortuga? Again?" Will also could remember the last time he was in Tortuga with Jack. There had been two woman. Scarlett and Giselle. He could only imagine what would happen if Trinity met them. And, not to mention, how red Jack's cheek would be.

**a/n: to me, this chapter just falls short of crap. sorry if it's really that bad. i'm actually doing my cousin, jay, a favor and babysitting his kid. she's seven and sticks to me like clingwrap. it was kind of hard to consentrate with her hovering over my shoulder and randomly banging on the keyboard when i was gone. let's just say jay owes me big time now. **


	9. Tortuga Part One

**Chapter Nine: Tortuga (Part One)**

Trinity scrunched her nose in distaste as the Black Pearl docked in Tortuga. She had never thought she would be coming back here as long as she lived, let alone for a joyous occasion. The air smelled of burnt wood, animal stocks, powdered makeup, endless amounts of grog, and grungy pirates. Everything Trinity had remembered. Everything Jack loved. She was taking it all in at once, gathering her wits about her. She would do this, if for nothing else but to get the revenge she so desperately wanted. Revenge on a dead man, at least.

The gang plank was lowered and Jack waited fo her at the bottom. Trinity ordered for the children to stay onboard as she met him, pausing for a moment. Her hesitation was only natural. So many bad memories, but hopefully good ones were to come. Jack offered her his hand, helping her get her bearings. Once she did, Jack took back his hand, then dodged behind her in an effort to hide himself. They walked into the stupefied crowd of the town before Trinity noticed him clinging to her shoulders.

"Jack, get off me!" she screamed over the roars of the other drunken pirates. Jack's attempt at hiding had failed. Two women were marching right for him. Scarlett and Giselle.

Will let out a small snicker as they approached, Elizabeth clinging to his arm.

"Well if isn't ol' Captain Jack hisself," Scarlett smiled, linking arms with the other.

"An' 'oh migh' this be?" Giselle's eyes landed on Trinity.

Trinity placed her hands on her hips and turned towards Jack. "Yes, Captain Jack. 'Oh is me?" Trinity mocked.

Scarlett and Giselle glared at Jack with intensity, warning him not to say the wrong thing. "Well, ladies, she would be my, . . . uh, . . .my, . . ."

It pained Trinity to watch him any further. She knew who they were, even if she didn't know their names. They were Jack's choice of "pleasurable company" while in Tortuga. "I, you over powdered, foul smelling, excuse for woman kind, am Jack's wife. The mother of his child also, as it were." Trinity saw it coming. She stepped away from her husband's side and slightly pushed him towards his mistresses.

SMACK! Jack was clenching his cheek. Another slap and Jack was in the mud at Trinity's feet. "You couldn't marry me, but you could marry this wench!" Scarlett added one more heel to the ribs as a way of telling him off. Trinity fingered her gun at her waist, but thought it would be more fun to see how this played out.

Scarlett, the color of her face agreeing with her name gestured violently towards Trinity. "That's original. I've been called many a name, but a wench, now that takes creativity." Trinity mumbled, helping her husband up.

Giselle took Scarlett by the arm and headed off in the other direction. Once sure that the two were out of a visual range, Trinity turned to Jack, shoving him to the ground again. She took out her gun and held it to his head, too close for comfort, and pressed her forearm against his windpipe. "Get on with it then." Jack gasped, face turning a deeper shade of purple with every word. She wouldn't shoot him, but Trinity was good at finding other ways to make him suffer. Other than copying the handprints on his face, that is.

"Not yet, darling." She had a smile on her lips. "First, we are going to do said plans. Then we're going back to the ship were you are to drink until you retch your weasley black guts out. The next morning, when you have the absolute worst hangover of your life, that's when I take my wrath."

"Why not now? It would be very amusing, and I'm sure these fine people would appreciate a show." Will kidded, Elizabeth elbowing him in the side.

Without removing her grip, or repositioning his gun, Trinity turned to Will. The smile on her face had grown reasonably larger. "Because of two reasons, dear William. One, Jack is going to get drunk tonight anyway. He will most likely not remember tonight's activities. I want him to remember this. Two, because he will be suffering considerably tomorrow morning because of said drunk state. I tend to take opportunity of that." She turned her attention back to Jack. "Understood?"

"Couldn't possibly not!" He was trying to get air. Her constriction wouldn't allow that. "Love, kind of... need... air!"

Trinity released him, dusting herself off. "Well then, shall we?"

Jack choked on the one thing he needed. He stood and coughed once more, clearing his airway further. "Where to?"

"Easy. Where was Kydd slaughtered?" Trinity watched as men jumped from a burning building in front of her.

"Must you put it so vulgar?"

"Yes." A simple answer to a simple question.

"Care to enlighten me?"

"No. Will on the other hand," but she didn't finish. Will was puzzled by this.

_She does know something! _He whispered to himself. _Does it have something to do with Avery?_ He made a mental note to ask her later.


	10. Tortuga Part Two and Kidnaped

**Chapter Ten: Tortuga (Part Two) and Kidnaped**

Jack led them to a pub called _The Happy Half._ The name didn't concern Trinity. She wanted to get in, buy the scallywag that nicked Kydd's neck, then get the hell off this godforsaken land. Jack had told her the man was a well known figure in this tavern. A usual customer.

Jack staggered up to the barmaid, who he had made known that he knew well. Jack, too, was a usual here. "Let's just say I like their food." Jack whispered to Will as the men took a seat at the bar. Trinity was waiting by the door, tapping her foot impatiently. She wanted to make a quick getaway if their pursuit wasn't here.

He was. The barmaid pointed down the counter to a big man, heavily drinking from a tankard. His face hidden by the brim of his hat. Jack looked at Trinity and nodded in the man's direction. He mouthed something to her. It looked like, "Don't do anything stupid."

Trinity waved him off, taking a seat next to the man. He smelled unceasingly like murky sea water and tar. Either he was a pirate, or a unlawful fisherman. Both were known to visit Tortuga along their travels. "Can I ask what you're drinkin' there, mate?"

"Wa's it to ya?" he growled, slamming his tankard onto the counter and belching loudly.

"So I can buy ye another." Trinity didn't like using average pirate dialect. She thought it was discriminatory. Something about this place brought it out in her, though. She fought to hold it back. "Ale? Rum? Grog? Anything ye be wantin'." The man looked at her questioningly. Apparently he wasn't as drunk as Trinity made him first out to be. "I hear you did me a favor. I hope to return that."

"Really now?" He was eyeing her promiscuously. Jack saw his look and rushed to her side. "Jack Sparrow? I thought the wench looked familiar!" the man roared, knocking over his stool as he stood. He took his hat off and stared down the couple.

"Really? Have we threatened you before?" Jack was in front of Trinity, backing away slowly. He left out the "captain" so he could get out of trouble, not add to it. Clearly this was a bad idea.

No one was listening to Trinity who was protesting that everyone was calling her a wench. She wasn't the wench here! Everyone else was!

"You don't remember me, do ya?" He laughed. "I 'eard the Pearl was in port here. Sent my men to check it out. They should be back soon." Without missing a beat, two pirates came in holding two squirming objects. Two children. Their children.

"Mommy!" Avery screamed, biting the hand covering her mouth. Additional pirates followed, cutlasses and pistols aimed at the children. Will stepped towards her outstretched arms, but his neck soon met with the tip of a cutlass.

"Now Mister Turner, I wouldn't do anything rash." Blackbeard's deep raspy voice echoed through the establishment. Now Trinity recognized the man at the counter. It was none other than Bartholomew Roberts, League member and one of Blackbeard's right hand men. "You want your children back, I suggest you give me back MY TREASURE!" He was clearly irate. If it was possible, steam would have been pouring from his ears.

"Those aren't ours." Jack tried acting casual. His face held a fake grin, hoping to be convincing. Elizabeth was about to scream, protest, something. Trinity couldn't afford that. The children couldn't afford that. Trinity slapped Elizabeth's arm, then nudged her in the ribs.

"Well if they aren't yours, Sparrow, then you mind if we kill them?" he snickered, taking his pointer finger and running it over his throat.

"Wait!" _Stupid move, Trinity!_ But it wasn't Trinity who had said it. It was Jack. "I can't give you your treasure, Teach. I don't have it anymore." He sighed, slipping a comforting hand into his wife's. Jack would never let anything bad happen to Jaden. That was his son as much as it was Trinity's.

"Then I shall be keeping these little jewels until you can compensate for what you stole from me!" He flicked his wrist towards the door and watched as the men carried the children, kicking and screaming like never before, out the door.

"And what if we can't compensate? There was a lot of treasure." Elizabeth spoke. Her voice was so annoying. It irritated Trinity because she knew the Elizabeth was far above begging. She was too pampered for that, and too used to getting what she wanted handed to her on a silver platter.

"Then, my dear, your offspring will no longer be of interest to me. And no longer offspring to you." He chuckled, then slowly followed his crew out the door.

"YOU COCKROACH!" Trinity screeched after him. Jack had to literally lock his arms around her waist to keep her from breaking down in the middle of the floor.

"Let's get back to the ship, shall we?" Jack brought her to his shoulders, pressing her against himself. "Maybe in a different setting, we can devise a plan." Jack's words were hollow. He knew that there would only be one way out of this. Find a treasure large enough and trade. He just hoped that they would be able to before anything happened to the children.

**A/N: i'd like to thank LilyEvensPotter for her imput and help with this chapter. she is a dear friend to me, the one who got me started writing actually, and shall always remain one. **

**on another note, i would like to also thank Mrs. Capt Jack Sparrows for her faithful reviews. thanx so much to you!**

**and thomthom830: i will soon stop your suffering. Avery's father's identity will be revealed in a up coming chapter. i will not tell you which one, seeing as how i am not quite so sure myself. thanx to you for your thoughtful reviews! always look forward to it. **


	11. Lie Relief

**Chapter Eleven: Lie Relief**

Jack was wrong. There was nothing they could do now except what they did best: pilfer and plunder, sack and raid, until they got every bit of treasure back. Trinity wasn't worried about how they were going to get the treasure. She knew they would somehow. She was more worried about whether she was actually going to get to see Jaden again.

Trinity couldn't bring herself to enter her own cabin. Jaden things were in there, in plain sight. She couldn't bring herself to look at them. Not without imagining him sitting amongst his toys scattered on the floor, singing songs Jack taught him. She would rather be where she was, on the deck of the Pearl, clinging to the railing and soaked through from the rain.

The storm had come on suddenly. The rain was blinding and the wind was taking away everything that wasn't nailed down. Jack fought his way over to her. He had to scream over the ocean's roar for her to hear him. "Come inside, love. There's not much we can do now."

"No! I want to stay here. I can't go in there, Jack. I just can't." Jack understood. Not wanting her to get sick, or worse, he took his hat from his head and placed it on hers, placing it low to shield her eyes. Then he proceeded to take off his jacket and drape it over her shoulders.

Jack was proud of her. Trinity had managed to keep herself composed. She had only one breakdown, and she still had yet to cry.

The rain had stopped. Jack brought Trinity out a pair of dry clothes, then sent her below deck to change. Elizabeth, although ignoring her better judgement, followed her. Trinity had slipped into a dry pair or trousers and a shirt, adding a sash for a belt and Jack's borrowed effects.

Elizabeth had entered just as she was sliding her arms into Jack's jacket. "So, what kind of plan do we have this time?" she snapped.

"Now is not the time, Ms. Turner."

"But I think it is. What brilliant scheme have you concocted this time?"

"I haven't. There is no plan. There isn't even a guarantee that we will get the children back." Elizabeth clearly wasn't going to let this go.

"I have suffered the same amount as you, _Ms. Sparrow_. I think I'm entitled to a little leeway in the information department. Tell me why we went to Tortuga. And don't bother blackmailing me anymore. That isn't going to work."

"Don't think that I don't know what this is about, Elizabeth!" Trinity got as close to Elizabeth face as possible. If she wouldn't be told off, maybe she could intimidate Elizabeth away. "I, too, have lost my child! I know the consequences of my actions. Yes, it my fault that we went to Tortuga. Yes, it is my fault that the children were still onboard. And yes, it my fault that they are not here as we speak. And as for blackmailing you further, I wouldn't dream of it. Your information is no longer valuable to me anymore." Her hands were on her head, pulling tightly at the curls hanging from her forehead. "Do not try to blame me for this, Elizabeth, because I already have taken blame. But this conversation isn't about the children, is it? Now that Avery is gone, you have to see how much Will really loved her, how much he grieves over her. It's tearing you apart, and you're looking for a scape goat. You want me to tell Will that he isn't Avery's father. That one night, you looked back at your marriage and wondered what it would have been like to have chosen differently. What if you would have chosen Norrington? You had to see for yourself, didn't you?"

"That is none of your business!" Elizabeth went to slap her, but Trinity caught her wrist.

"No, it may not be. But it is my business that you are looking towards me to relieve yourself of your guilt. Well I refuse to help you. Relieve your own guilt." She let her go, Elizabeth falling backwards from trying to pull free. "You claim I have a black heart. Well you, my dear, are far worse that I. Do us all a favor and rid us of your whining. Tell him that you slept with the Commodore. That Avery isn't his child. You would be doing him a favor as well. Maybe he wouldn't be so emotionally disheveled if he knew that she wasn't his. Break yourself free from lie, Elizabeth. Five years is long enough."

"Wretch." Elizabeth mumbled, heading for the door.

"What if Avery does die? Not to put the mark of doom on her, but could live with yourself then?" Trinity retorted. Elizabeth didn't respond, just turned and head out the door. Trinity folded her arms in a false victory. "I thought so." she whispered to herself. She placed Jack's hat on her head and followed.

**A/N: Ahhhhh. who saw that coming? really? now the new question is (or should i say "questions")... will liz tell will? how will he react? and what happens when norrington finds out? so totally juicey. i love it! plus what happens to the kids? read the next installmetn to find out! **

**REVIEW PLEASE!**


	12. From Bad, to Semi okay, to Bad Again

**Chapter Twelve: From Bad, to Semi-okay, to Bad Again... ah hell!**

Jack had been standing outside the door, coming to take his hat back. He let Elizabeth walk past him, but stopped Trinity in her tracks. "So that was the information, eh? Will's bonny lass had a special relationship with the Commodore?"

Trinity had a look of utter guilt on her face. Sure she would have ratted Elizabeth out in a heart beat, but not like that. Not by someone over hearing them. "Yes. That _was_ the information."

"And why was it no longer valuable?"

"Because!" she pushed past him and started up the wooden staircase. "She is already on the ship and I don't think she will plan on leaving any time soon if she wants her child back."

"And not William's child."

"Thank you for pointing out the obvious."

Jack was jogging to keep up with her. "What if I said that that information was still valuable?"

"How could that be, Jack?" Trinity had stopped and turned towards him. He was considerably farther down the stairs, but Trinity was still looking him squarely in the eye. "Elizabeth won't have it anymore."

"Let's say we leak the information to a certain Governor. Tell him that Elizabeth is planning on telling everyone. Convince him that it's bad for his image, which shouldn't take much. Then we offer to make the information disappear. The only ones knowing it would be..." Jack did some mental math. When that failed, he used his fingers. "The four us. Five if Elizabeth tells William. Upon offering such deal, we say we can only do it for a price."

"Enough to account for the treasure." Trinity was smiling, her hands cupping Jack's cheeks. She had never thought her husband was as brilliant as she did now. "But will he have enough?"

"Oh I think he'll make due." Jack curved the side of his mouth in a menacing fashion.

"What if Elizabeth plays the tattler? Goes running to her father? She's probably done that more than once in her life."

"We'll have to square with that in time. First, we set up a meeting telling Teach that we'll get him his treasure and for him not to leave Tortuga. Then we set sail for Port Royal once again."

"Couldn't we just leave her here? As collateral or something? It would make the trip so much easier. and quieter, too" The two continued up the stairs, faking smiles to the crew. Try as they might, Jack and Trinity were too loud to have such a conversation out in the open. Especially when things got ugly. Most of the time they got ugly. So once actually on deck, Trinity covered Jack's mouth before he could respond, than dragged him into their cabin. She retreated from him and began to undress to prepare for bed.

"No, afraid not. We could probably use her as leverage to get Norrington to allow me anywhere near Port Royal. Illegally of course. You know I don't like doing lawful things. Makes me feel icky." Jack watched his wife strip with fascination.

She was down to her under garments when she saw them. Jaden's things sprawled out on the small cot Jack had set up for him. A toy sail boat, a wooden sword, a book. "I won't cry, I won't cry..." she hummed to herself, slipping a shirt over her head and turning away. "I'm okay." Jack didn't need to ask. The way he was looking at her was saying enough.

She silently picked up the book and closed the cover. Then, as graceful as she could, walked over to the book case to put it away. She ran her fingers over the titles of so many of her son's books. When her fingers came to a gap, she reached through the space looking for something.

In a hysteria, Trinity dropped the book she was holding and started ripping books from the shelf. "What is it?" Jack was dodging literature left and right.

"It's not here!" She screamed, quickening her pace and moving on to the next shelf. "It's not here! Oh God, Jack! It's not here!"

Jack grabbed her before she could ruin another shelf. He held her arms tightly by her sides she wasn't able to move them. "What isn't there?" he asked calmly.

"The journal. Kydd's journal. It's not here, Jack! I read it and put it behind these books and it's gone. Oh God. Jaden must have found it. He must have had it when he was kidnaped." Jack let her go and watched her pace frantically, clenching her hair with tight fists. "This isn't good, Jack. There were things in that book. Bad, bad things."

"Trinity, you're going to need to calm down." he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her onto his lap, holding her there. "What kind of bad things?"

"Everything. Kydd logged every waking moment of his life in that book. Every detail. There are things in there about all of us. You, me, Gibbs, Anamaria, Will, and even Elizabeth. Every crime any of us have ever committed." Trinity had a horrified expression set on her face. "Jack, if Blackbeard gets his hands on that book...let's just say that there would be enough information to condemn us all to death, hang us without trial, dissemble our bodies, place them in a trunk and sink it to the bottom of Davy Jones' locker, only for them to dig it up years later with some miraculous way of bringing us back to life, and do it all over again."

Jack looked pained. He made a face of the thought of all that happening. "Let's just hope Jaden doesn't give him the goddam book then."

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not really sure if dragged is a word... should it be drug? is that a word other than to describe medications (some legal, some not). i think i may have slept through that english class... i don't know. for all the grammer junkies, sorry if i pissed you off with that. but if u'r a grammer junkie, i probably piss you off daily because...i...like... ellipses...a...lot...!

**A/N: again, i think another crap chapter. i hate when i only write for two characters! it bugs me sooo much! and yes thomthom830, Trinity hates Elizabeth because i HOPE SHE CHOKES ON A GLASS OF RUM AND DIES! can you choke on liquids? i don't care. i still hope she does. i was only nice to her in my last story because i had to lead up to this...**

**hey ppls reading this! go to my profile and click on my hompage link. VOTE FOR ME! i'm trying to become a full fledged pirate. if you do me said favor... i will send you a treat. it won't be a real treat, because i think that might fry my computer, but it will be good. not really sure of what kind of treat_... but it will be good..._**


	13. The Children

**Chapter Thirteen: The Children**

Jaden knew well where he was. He may only be seven, but he was smarter than others gave him credit for, considering his age. He was in Tortuga. A place his father had spoken about affectionately. He knew because of the room he was in. It was shabby at best. There was only one bed, and bugs crawling all over the floor. The window didn't have a curtain like back home. And the door didn't unlock.

Then there was Blackbeard. One of the most fearsome pirates in the world. He didn't scare Jaden though. Blackbeard just looked like a scruffy old man to Jaden. Not fear worthy.

He did, however, scare Avery to the point of tears. The five-year-old was curled up in the fetal position, in a chair next to the window. She repeated the same words over and over again through her sobbing: "I want my mommy!"

_She shouldn't be here,_ Jaden thought as he sat in the chair next to her. He wanted her to stop crying, it was annoying him. His mommy never cried. She shouldn't either. "Captain's coming." Jaden tried to comfort her. It was hard, seeing as how Jaden didn't like Avery much.

Avery nodded, wiping off her tears with her dress. Normally she wouldn't do that. Her mother told her that it wasn't a good thing to do, but Avery didn't have a tissue. The doorknob turned, sending Jaden to his feet. He protectively stood in front of Avery as Henry Morgan and one other man entered. They had brought food and drinks with them. That was good, because Avery was starving.

"Here," he threw the plates onto the bed, the food bouncing around, "Teach's feelin' generous tonight." He sneered, watching the little girl tremble in the corner. "Having fun yet, little darling?" He reached for her.

"Don't talk to her!" Jaden snapped, slapping away Morgan's outstretched hand. "Captain's coming and when he gets here, you'll be sorry!"

"Captain? Who's Captain?" Then he realized. "You mean that foul excuse of a father of yours? I would hardly Sparrow a real captain."

"He is so! And when him and my mommy get here, you'll be real sorry you ever laid a hand on me!" Morgan let out a loud, howling laugh. He turned his heel, and walked back out the door, locking it behind him. Avery, after listening to her stomach growl, reached over to the bed to grab a piece of stale bread. Jaden grabbed her at the wrist. "Don't eat it."

"But I'm hungry, Jaden." She cried. Apparently this girl wasn't going to stop crying. "My tummy hurts."

"Don't eat it." he told her again, gathering the plates with one hand and pushing against the window with his other. He couldn't bear to tell her that the food might be poisoned, it was better just to get rid of it. The window could hardly open, but it could open wide enough for Jaden's small figure to slip out of. "I'll get us food."

"How?" She watched as Jaden dumped the food then climbed out the window, barely being able to get his footing. "Where are you going?"

"Are you hungry or not?"

"Jaden, don't leave me here!"

"Do you think you can climb out on this ledge?" She nodded. She wasn't really sure whether she could or not, but she wasn't about to stay here alone. He helped her out, then down a wooden support beam on the side of the building.

Usually being free from captivity would feel better than this, but the air was thick outside. There was smoke rising in all directions and smell of liquor in the air so strong, you could taste it. Jaden wasn't sure why his father liked it so much here. He took Avery by the hand and pulled her into a shadow. "We should keep to the dark. That way no one can see us."

Avery nodded. She had finally stopped crying, although her nose and eyes were puff and red. "Okay." she squeaked, confirming that she heard what he said.

Jaden was looking at her, the fear in her eyes, when he took his first step. He had already managed to walk into something hard. Something solid. A person.

A man, to be more exact. Jaden was horrified at first, seeing the large hat that was covering his face and large black coat covering every other part of his body. But something changed when he saw this man's mouth which was curved into a smile. He knew that smile. It looked like his mother's. "Jaden?"

Jaden knew that voice. He had heard it before. This man had visited him and his mother when Captain came home. One time. This man had played with Jaden on the beach. Excitement grew in Jaden's eyes. He now knew that he had a ally in this, someone who could take care of them.

"Kydd?" He smiled.

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**A/N: am i keeping you guys on your toes? who saw that coming? seriously? i must say though, i am interested in what you guys think is going to happen next. review!**


	14. Missing Pieces

**Chapter Fourteen: Missing Pieces**

Trinity sat on her bed. No, not _her_ bed. _Their_ bed. She shared the bed with Jack, the love of her life the father of her child. Her heart ached for Jaden, but she knew Jack would get him back. In her eyes, Jack could do anything.

She had her dress sprawled in front of her, the dress that Kydd had cut up. The front didn't show any signs of damage and the material was still in all it's glory. Trinity ran her hands across red cotton, feeling the texture and remembering old days. She used to wear that dress to get Jack to... well, to seduce the scallywag.

She flipped the dress over, now running her fingers over the corset ribbing in the back. That's what she loved most about it, she didn't have to wear an actual corset. Then she saw it. A huge piece was cute out of the bottom of the dress, revealing the white under cloth. The hole was much too big for Kydd to only have taken that small piece of cloth. "Jack Sparrow!"

Jack came rushing in, boots thumping the deck loudly as he did so. "What is it darling?" His voice was worried, thinking that something else had happened.

"What the hell is this?" She held up the bottom of the dress, the top crumpling to the floor.

Jack's eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped. He searched for words but found none. Because of his silence and lack of an excuse, he knew he was in physical danger. "That's...um...a... hole?"

Trinity let the rest of the dress fall to the floor and crossed her arms. "Take off your coat." She demanded with an expressionless face.

"My coat?"

"You heard me, mate. Off with it, or off with your head!" Jack hesitated, slipping the leather jacket off his shoulders. She was going to strip search him. Now that he thought about it, he didn't mind so much. He was still cautious, though. He held it out to her and she quickly snatched it up. Trinity vigorously searched through the pockets, turning them inside out and placing the contents on the bed. She turned her head, glancing at Jack out of the corner of her eye.

"Pat me down, eh?" A smile spread across his lips like wildfire.

Trinity stepped up to him, taking some pleasure in what she was about to do. Her chest was pressed against Jack's, feeling the rise and fall of his quickened breathing. She reached for his belt, tugging his lower extremities closer to hers. One hand holding his belt the other maneuvering down the his chest, under his shirt. She was patting him down, searching for the distinct feeling of too much cloth gathered in one place. His shirt was clean, and so was his pants.

She glanced up at his smirk expression. She had found it. Tightly pressed against his forehead, a sliver of red cloth peered out under his hat. Jack leaned in to kiss her but she resisted, pulling the hat from his head. "Ah hah!" she yelled, holding his hat out of his reach.

He stood still, waiting for his punishment which was inevitable. He closed his eyes and readied himself, tensing his muscles. When nothing came of it, he opened on eye. Trinity wasn't there, and neither was his bandana. She had slipped it from his head without his knowledge and had exited the cabin.

"Cap'em! Port Royal dead ahead!" Gibbs yelled from outside the cabin.

"Low anchor in the usual spot, behind the cliff." He replied joining the rest outside. Trinity wasn't there either.

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Elizabeth paced the cabin feverishly, unsure of what she was doing. She stopped and slumped in the chair beside the bed, not caring about posture at the moment. At her side, on the table, was the leather book Trinity had been see with. She wanted to read it, but was scared of what she might find.

Will entered, closing the door silently behind him. Elizabeth jumped at the sight of another presence, but eased herself when she saw it was only her husband. "We're heading back to Port Royal." he muttered, not noticing Kydd's journal.

"Why?"

"I'm not sure, but Trinity assured me it had something to do with the rescue of the children." he sighed, placing his face in his hands.

It hurt Elizabeth to see Will in such pain. She wanted to reach out to him, to hold him and tell him everything would be okay. His hands were covering his view of her. Elizabeth put out her hand and reached for the back of his neck. She couldn't. She didn't deserve to touch him. Her hand snapped back to her lap, and Will looked up. He had started to cry. Elizabeth had never, ever, seen Will cry. Her guilt was raging out of control. This burden was too heavy to bear anymore.

"Will, I have something to tell you." She chirped, not thinking of what she was saying. Reality all came flooding back to her in a moment. She couldn't tell Will the truth. Not now. But Will was staring at her, eyes gazing for questions to answers he so desperately needed. It was written all over her face, but he couldn't read it. "I...I..." she wouldn't let her secret slip.

"What is it, Elizabeth?" he questioned, hoping to pull it out of her.

"I found Kydd's journal!" She wasn't sure whether she should have told him that either. She also wasn't aware of how loud she said it. Her eyes darted towards the book at Will's side. Elizabeth rose from the chair, hoping to make a get-a-way. She backed towards the door, feeling the handle behind her and twisting it open. Once outside the cabin, she backed into something solid. And something mad.

"You... you... I don't even know how to insult you for something like this!" Trinity screamed, wrenching Elizabeth around and stepping as close to her face as she could. She was going for intimidation, and it was working. "How could you!"

"How could you not tell me! Kydd was my friend as well."

"Kydd was no one's friend. He betrayed us all." Trinity scoffed, lowering her voice to a rage-indused whisper.

"What?" Will had stepped out of the cabin, closing in on Elizabeth's space away from him.

"You heard me, Mr. Turner. Kydd was the reason I almost joined Bootstrap Bill at the bottom of Davy Jones's locker. Kydd was the reason we almost didn't get any of the treasure your bride here and I risked our necks for. But he's dead now. And that's his journal." She noticed Will holding said item in his hand. "Give it to me." She barked.

"Ready the long boats." Jack smiled, throwing an arm loosely around Trinity's shoulder. "Prepare to dock, mates. What's going on here?"

Trinity wasn't surprised at Jack's clueless-ness. He always was and would remain to be as blunt as a dull blade. She snatched the book from Will's hands and retreated back to her cabin. She had some things to prepare for her return to Port Royal. Mostly, she just wanted to find a shovel to bury that goddam book.

**a/n: surgery went okay. my knee's the size of a grape fruit and i'm going back to physical therapy tomorrow. downside is pain, pain, and more pain. upside is joe, my really hot physical therapist!**


	15. Strategically Planned Circles

**a/n:** i will say that this chapter is really long. really, really long. there is just so much stuff happening... i tried to chisel it down the the bare essentials. i hope it's good!

p.s. i really like name of this chapter and a quote i made up towards the end. it's one of trintiy's thoughts... i'm not sure why i'm telling you this... i just thought that those two things were one of my better ideas and i'm proud of them... anyhoo, here it is. CHAPTER SIXTEEN!

**Chapter Sixteen: Strategically Planned Circles**

Kydd shushed the children, placing a hand over each of their mouths. Jaden didn't struggle, knowing Kydd was going to help them, but Avery started crying again. Kydd pressed his hand over her mouth harder, to stifle the sob, then led them behind the building they were standing next to. Behind the inn was nothing. All that could be seen was miles and miles of beach and ocean. It was a perfect secluded area.

"Kydd, I need to find Captain. Mommy told me to stay on the ship but these men came and took me and Avery and now I need to find Captain!" Jaden was talking a mile a minute, excited to see a familiar face.

"Oh, we'll find Captain," Kydd cracked a smile out of the side of his mouth. "I'm sure he's looking for you." After everything, Kydd was actually happy to see Jaden. What he was going to do with the children, he didn't know, but he wouldn't harm them. Not Jaden anyway. The smaller one, maybe, if she was annoying enough.

"I'm hungry!" Avery wailed, doubling over and clenching her stomach. Jaden could hear his stomach growling as well. He nodded to Kydd, to silently say that he was too.

"Fine. I'll get food, you stay here. Make sure no one sees you." Kydd pulled the hat further over his face. He couldn't be recognized. Not here. Not while Blackbeard's lackeys were around. Kydd was actually hoping he would run into Trinity and Jack. The staging of his death had been Jack's idea, and he wanted to thank him. But how would he explain it to Trinity. Surely Jack had told her he was dead, his former captain promised him he wouldn't tell a soul.

What if someone had found his journal? How would he explain that? He couldn't. What he had written was true. At one time in his life, a long period actually, he had hated Trinity and Jack.

He forgot all that and focused on the task at hand, getting food for those children.

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"Is it me, or are we going around in circles?" Will sat in front of Jack in the long boat. There shouldn't be anyone on the beach at this time, but Trinity wanted to take every precaution. She wasn't in any danger, but Jack would be hanging from the noose only as soon as someone spotted him.

"Strategically planned circles, mate. Savvy?" Jack was slightly drunk. He had pilfered a nice silver flask from someone in Tortuga and had now decided to use it.

"No."

Elizabeth sat across from her husband with Trinity in the front. She could feel the pirate's gaze searing holes through the back of her neck. Before Elizabeth thought that Trinity was only using her to get what she wanted. Now she was sure that Trinity hated her. "Once we get to my house, Ms. Turner, I suggest you pick something out of mine. We wouldn't want you going back to your father's mansion looking like that, now would we?" There was an insult in there.

"I suppose." Elizabeth jeered, ignoring the rudeness in her voice. She couldn't take the ridicule anymore and just wanted this all to stop.

"Good. Then you and William will make for your father's and I will make for the fort. Agreed?"

"The fort?"

"Yes, I have sent word for Commodore Norrington. I wish to speak with him before it becomes too late. I wouldn't want anyone to think we were trading secrets, eh?" A shooting pain coursed through Elizabeth stomach.

"Elizabeth, dear, I wish to speak with your father. If you could possibly manage to arrange it. Today or tomorrow would fine." Jack's toothy grin spread across his face, showing the he was up to no good.

"What for?"

"Jack, Governor Swann wouldn't step foot before you. You're a wanted man, here." Will whispered as they approached the sandy beach in front of the small house.

"Which is exactly why he shouldn't know it's with me. Savvy?"

"No." Will replied once again.

"You'd do your best to arrange it, Elizabeth. There's only so much the Commodore and I can chat about." Trinity swung one leg over the side of the boat and waited for Jack to help her the rest of the way out.

"Will jumped out of the boat with frustration. He couldn't take this anymore. "What's going on!" he yelled.

Elizabeth shushed him, taking him by the hand and headed towards the house. "You'll find out soon, naive William." Trinity chuckled, twirling in a few circles and watching the skirt of her outfit rise and fall. "The tangled webs of lies and deceit rear their ugly head once again." she continue to laugh, "It's what makes this so much fun."

"Yo ho." Jack raised his flack and tipped his head back. Without the friction from his bandana, Jack's hat slipped off his head and onto the sand. He drunkenly ran after it, slipping profanities every now and then.

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Trinity had been to the fort too many times than she would have liked. She usually met Will or Elizabeth there for visiting time, but would rush out of there only too quick. There was just something about being around so many naval soldiers. It broke her spirit, in a way.

The Commodore was in his office, and was only happy to take Trinity's company. She also knew him through Will and Elizabeth. Elizabeth mostly. "What can I do for you, Miss Marie?" he ushered her in.

Trinity looked him up and down. The sight of him didn't frighten or unnerve her. It made her laugh. That powdered wig and that uniform... it was comical, to say the least. "Commodore, I have something to discuss with you. It's a matter of _leverage_, actually."

"Leverage? As in bribery? And why would _you_ bribe anyone, Miss Marie?"

"It's an important matter concerning my child. I wish to request a pardon."

"A pardon? For who, if you don't mind me asking." Norrington was willing to do it. In fact, he had sat down at his desk and pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill as they were speaking.

"Jack Sparrow."

Norrington's civilized demeanor turned into ruthless aggression. He slammed his fist onto his desk, knocking over the ink bottle he had just dipped his quill into. "That, Miss Marie, is OUT of the question. Sparrow has a standing appointment with the gallows. I would never pardon him. Not after everything he's done. There is nothing..."

"Nothing? Don't be too sure, Commodore." Trinity sat in a red velveteen chair, just out of his reach. She crossed her legs and placed a hand on her knee, just below the hemline of her skirt. "What if I told you that Captain Jack Sparrow has a bit of information concerning yourself and another party. It is, in fact, very valuable and could change the course of your entire life."

"Are you attempting to bribe me, Trinity?"

That had been the first time Commodore Norrington had addressed her informally. Ever. This had never happened to her, and it knocked her for a loop. "No, not at all. Why would _I_ try to bribe _you_? You could have me jailed for that, correct?"

"Indeed." Norrington sat back down. He placed his elbows at the edge of the desk and arched his hands to meet his chin.

"Exactly. Therefore, I am only trying to pique your curiosity. This information if big, Commodore. It would change your life for the better." Trinity faked a smile, but still managed to make it look sincere. _Yeah, make his life better and ruin Will's._

"And what would that be?"

"I don't know," Trinity lied, "You'd have to hear that from Jack." Realizing she shouldn't sound so familiar with his name, she added, "Sparrow. _Captain_ Jack Sparrow."

Norrington squinched his eyes almost to a close. He was considering it, and that was good. He then pulled out another bottle of ink, dipped his pen into it, and read aloud as he wrote. "I hereby pardon Jack Sparrow..."

"Captain." Trinity stood.

Norrington looked annoyed at her. After seeing that she was serious, he crossed out his words and started over. "I hereby pardon _Captain_ Jack Sparrow for the grand total of one day starting on the day of..." but Trinity couldn't see what else he wrote, his arm was covering it like they were back in school and she was about to steal his test answers. She shrugged it off as Norrington proceeded to fold the parchment, put it in a envelope, and seal it shut with his official stamp. "The Governor shall not get wind of this, you hear?" he hesitantly handed Trinity the off-white piece of freedom. Well for Jack, and only for one day.

"I think the Governor will have enough to handle."

"Any word of his misconduct and I will have him hung on the spot, and you will be accountable as well.. Do we heave an accord?" Trinity had what she came for in her hands. She could have just turned and ran, but thought it wise not to. No one in Port Royal knew she was a pirate, and she would like to keep it that way. She extended her hand out to him. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer, fingers just lining the sleeve of her shirt.

He would have seen the mark if he moved his hand without loosening his grip. The tattoo she had there would have ratted her out. The tattoo she had gotten to commemorate Jack after the mutiny, when she though he was dead. It was small and faded, not to mention amateurlly done, but it was still a distinct sparrow in flight.

Trinity panicked, grasping his wrist as well. Maybe if she played it out right, he would think that it was just a friendly handshake. He did, and Trinity let out a huge sigh of relief. "Are you alright?" Norrington asked, tilting his head at her sigh.

"Yes, just had a long day. Trust me Commodore, this information will be worth your while." She backed out of his office slowly, holding the envelope in front of her face. "Promise."

_A pirate's promise is only as good as the fool who believes it,_ Trinity snickered to herself. She didn't really know if she was going to tell Norrington. That all depended on Elizabeth's behavior.

**another a/n: **so what do you think? please review... the amount is very diappointing and not very encouraging. i except constructive critisim as long as you can justify it, and do it in a polite manner. just don't send me crap because you "think it's a bad story". we're all civilized, correct? for those of you that are loyal reviewers, hat's off to you. thanks so much for your support and i hope i can keep you as entertained!


	16. A Meeting with Captain Jack

**a/n:** sorry it's been as long as it has since i last updated. school has been hectic. i've been playing catch-up because of the week i was out with my surgery. i hope you like this chapter. it took me FOREVER to write. i want to say that i'm getting close to the end, but i have a feeling i'm writing myself into a hole, what with the plot and all the subplots... i don't know. let's hope i get back on track. the next chapter is going to be about the kids and tell more about Kydd. i'm surprised that no one picked up on the line i had where Kydd said it was **JACK'S** idea to fake his death...

here's the next installment...

**Chapter Sixteen: A Meeting With Captain Jack **

Elizabeth inched nervously in her seat, waiting for her father to come down for his breakfast. Will was still asleep, or so he appeared to be, before she had gotten up and dressed. She was about to lie to her father to cover up another lie. She was going to send her father to meet with Jack Sparrow, for what was still a mystery.

Governor Swann sat down at the head of the table, smiling at his daughter. "Good morning, Elizabeth." he nodded.

_Hasn't he noticed I've been gone? _Elizabeth frowned. _I know I told him I was going, but I thought he would ask where..._

"I haven't seen you in so long. Where were you?"

"Just settling Will's adventurous spirit." She felt dumb for a moment.

The Governor nodded at his daughter, and watched as his son-in-law came bounding down the stairs, two at a time. That always annoyed him, but he let it go for the sake of his daughter. "Tell me, William, where is my granddaughter?" He patted the corners of his mouth with a white napkin. Elizabeth took a giant spoon-full of her food, to avoid answering the question herself.

"With Jaden. They were practically inseparable on the ship and it was late when we got in last."

Elizabeth's father squinted his eyes at the excuse. "Yes, it is very convenient that Miss Marie has her home built so close to the docks."

"Yes, it is."

One of the servants came bowing into the room. "Governor Swann, there is a message for you at the door. Shall I answer for it?"

"No, I will see to it myself, thank you." Elizabeth followed her father out of the dining room and into the entranceway. The large door was ajar and a small boy was standing just outside the threshold. "Thank you, lad." Governor Swann took the folded up papers and began to read to himself:

_To Governor Weatherby Swann, _

_I request your presence at a small gathering at dusk this evening. The location is the cottage near the docks, one which is known to be owned by a Miss Trinity Marie. Please do come or Miss Marie's reluctant hospitality will be wasted. That may just kill her. If it doesn't, I will._

_Yours Truly,_

_Captain Jack Sparrow_

The Governor dropped the note, which was quickly picked up by Will. His eyes ran across the words feverishly. What was Jack trying to do? He watched the Governor signal for one of his servants. "Send word to Commodore Norrington. Tell him that Jack Sparrow..."

"Captain," Will interrupted. Realizing that he shouldn't have, he quickly added, "Jack Sparrow will be expecting that. Governor, let me go see what he wants. I know him, and I will be able to determine wether it is safe for you to go."

"I will not..."

"Father, Trinity's life may be at stake. We can't afford that. She is such a dear friend." Elizabeth, too, was curious to what was going on. "Let Will go."

Governor Swann frowned deeply, contemplating his choices. He nodded, then headed back to the dining room, all to aware that this was _not_ going to end well.

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Dusk was when Jack said he wanted to meet the Elizabeth's father. He knew the way to Trinity's cottage like the back of his hand, even with the increasingly dimming light. Trinity was up on the widow's walk, a place were she found most of her comfort. She would go up there to think, but only when something was really racking her brain.

Will yelled out to her, signaling his arrival, and Trinity turned to meet him at the door. "Where is Jack?" Will was panting a little. He had been in a haste to get here.

Trinity had a smirk plastered across her face. A sly one. One that told Will that there was more to it than just a simple meeting. "Are there guards with you?" she whispered.

"Not that I'm aware of, but I'm sure the Governor has taken precautions and alerted Commodore Norrington." Trinity began laughing at high pitched tones. She just couldn't control it. "Now where is Jack?"

Trinity waved her hand, inviting him into the house. "Jack isn't here." She quickly made sure to lock the door behind him. "He went to visit the Governor." Will looked at her awkwardly. "Surely you didn't think Jack would actually plan on meeting him here? There's no way the Governor would come visit with _Captain Jack Sparrow_."

"So this was a set-up?"

"You catch on quick, young William." Trinity sat on her sofa and laid her arms across the top. "You see, we need the Governor's assistance in rescuing the children. Financial assistance. If Jack really wanted Governor Swann here, there would be Royal navy-men everywhere, but I knew you would be curious. You never could hide it. So I had Jack send the letter. Now with you here, and the potential threat of a "pirate attack", the Governor's guards are watching this house at a distance. That draws attention away from the mansion, savvy?"

Will's eyes squinted with distaste. "Why the Governor's money?"

"Because pillaging and plundering would take too long. The children are safe for now, while Blackbeard knows that we would be trying. If we take too long, the treasure won't matter anymore. He'll kill Jaden and Avery, then come after us. That's why."

It was like a sword hit him in the heart. The thought of Avery was too much to bare. "What about Norrington? Won't he have someone protecting the governor?"

"No. I talked to Norrington. He knows Jack is here and has granted him pardon until midnight of tonight."

"What did you say that could possibly ever sway that?"

"Just a little something that I happened to stumble upon."

"Would that have something to do with the information you've been bribing Elizabeth with?"

Trinity felt an overwhelming burst of emotion come over her. She almost felt obligated to tell Will the truth, to just answer all his questions. "Yes." she lowered her head. She was about to tell him everything.

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Jack slipped, unnoticed, around the garden of the mansion. Only a few short yards, then he would scale up the lattice onto Elizabeth's balcony where she would, not doubt, waiting for Will's return. Trinity's plan had worked, as usual. Jack had watched Will leave the mansion earlier, walking with a purpose. Will's curiosity, mixed with his stupidity, never failed to amuse Jack.

He was right. Elizabeth was sitting on her bed, in her night cloths, talking to herself. Jack couldn't make out the words until he had actually made it into her room. The doors to the balcony were unlocked, so he opened them and walked into the mansion like he was a personal guest, like he should have been.

"My dear, why don't you just rid yourself of the guilt and tell the nit-wit that he isn't the father of your little nuisance, eh?"

Elizabeth jumped, clinging to her robe which was wrapped tightly around her body. "Jack! You knew?"

"Of course, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy? Now tell me lass, where might your father be at this moment?" Jack sauntered over to the doors separating her room from the rest of the house. Elizabeth ran in front of him.

"What do you want with him?"

"Relax, love. I only wish to have a grown-up, civilized discussion with the Governor. I swear on the pain of death that I won't harm a hair on the man' s head." Jack raised his right hand, and pushed her out of the way with his left.

Elizabeth, being scared and confused, screamed, even though it didn't hurt. The bedroom doors burst open and who do you think came to her rescue?

"Norrington, so nice to see you again." Jack smiled a toothy grin. He quickly took his pardon papers out of his jacket pocket and held them in the air.

"What's this?" Norrington, not taking his gaze off of Jack, nodded to Elizabeth who had yet to pick herself up off the floor.

Jack, who was painfully aware of the conditions of his pardon, held his hands out with his wrists touching. "Slap him in irons, right?" He winced as two more Royal Navy guards came running up the stairs.


	17. Mutiny Flashback

**Chapter Seventeen:** **Mutiny Flashback**

Jaden was starting to worry. It had been days since he was first taken from his mother and Captain. Kydd was there, but he was acting different from when Jaden had first met him. He hardly spoke to the children and he kept himself at quite a distance.

The seven-year-old wasn't sure of where he was, only that he was in a house on the other side of Tortuga. Kydd had told them not to leave the house, not even in the dark. Avery had once pointed out that it had been a very long time since she had seen her mother and father, and that made Jaden sad. He missed his mother and Captain and he wanted them back. He decided to confront his present care-taker about it. "Kydd, I want to look for Captain. He's looking for me and I want to help him."

"How are you so sure he's looking for you?" Kydd snapped. Jaded hadn't noticed that he had been pacing with an irrate expression on his face. "He doesn't seem to be in Tortuga anymore. It wouldn't surprise me if that coward just gave up on you."

"He is to looking for me! And Avery's parents, too. And you just sitting here and keeping us inside isn't doing us any good. What if Captain is here? He wouldn't be able to see me if I was inside!" Jaden rambled, screaming at an usually high volume for a seven year old boy. Kydd didn't seem to be listening to him, he was lost in his own thought. Jaden stomped on his foot as a way of saying 'and here's what I think of you', then stormed off to join Avery in the other room.

Truthfully, Kydd knew what Jack was doing. He was trying to scrounge up enough loot to pay for his child's safe return. No doubt Trinity would be right beside him. That girl never gave up, and that annoyed him.

Sitting down and removing his boot, the one that Jaden had stepped on, he started to sooth his aching foot. It brought up the memory of why Jaden hated Trinity and Jack so much. The memory of why he had betrayed them so easily.

_Kydd watched as Jack was made to walk the plank, unable to help his former captain because of the restraints that bound him to the mast. Barbossa was laughing in his face, saying something about Kydd's loyalty getting him nowhere. _

_Trinity was next to him,_ _tears running down her face, washing away all color and expression. Then Jack fell and began swimming towards the island. Trinity was screaming as Barbossa was professing his love for her. She was refusing him, and again Kydd was unable to help her. _

_Barbossa had locked them away in the brig. All the while, Trinity had been complaining that she wasn't going to be able to survive without Jack. In all the years that they had known each other, Trinity had said that she cared for Kydd as much as she could, but now all she could think about was her beloved Jack. Trinity had always said that her and Kydd were family, but all she was worried about was how her supposed future husband wasn't going to be in her life anymore. _

_It sickened him to his core. Kydd was about to be the object of a bribe, one that his father, a wealthy plantation owner, wouldn't accept. No one had known, but Kydd's father had outcast him as a child. Kydd was left to fend for himself on the streets until the day he met Trinity and Jack. If Kydd's father didn't accept the bribe, Kydd would have been killed for his loyalty to Jack and for standing by Trinity. _

_How had she repaid him? She wasn't even concerned for him. She hadn't even attempted to come up with a plan to get them out of this. Bootstrap Bill had already be condemned to death for his loyalty and the same was about to happen to Kydd. How could Trinity have been so selfish? She didn't care about him at this point, and he decided not to care about her. _

_But Kydd's father had accepted the bribe and Kydd had been saved. The only reason being that his father only had one son and wanted the family name to live on. But had Jack searched for Kydd? No! As soon as Jack got off the island, he started his quest to find Trinity and his precious Black Pearl. Kydd had to fend for himself and make his way back to the Black Pearl on his own, being tossed out on the streets again. _

_Once he finally did make it back, Jack hadn't exactly welcomed him with open arms. He was reprimanded for not standing up for Jack when the mutiny occurred, even though that would have meant Kydd's death._ _He was punished according to the code, then sent back to the galley to prepare dinner. _

_Kydd hated the Black Pearl and his captain. But most of all, Trinity. Trinity had left him there, only caring about herself. She got away while Kydd to endear the ridicule and torture from Barbossa's men._

Avery's screams knocked him out of his flashback. "What the bloody hell!"Kydd roared, jumping up from his seat and rushing into the other room. The children were no where in sight and the window was jammed open, allowing the cloth Kydd used as curtain to flow in the breeze.

He felt his face grow redder and hotter with every passing second. Not only were the kids going to get themselves killed, but they were going to drag Kydd down with them. If Jaden or the little brat said anything about him to the league, his death wouldn't be fake. He had to get out of Tortuga, and fast.

First, he would try to find the burdens. If that didn't work, then he'd hop the next ship out of port.

**Author Note:**

hope you guys liked this. i wrote it in first period gym, since i can't actually take gym. i don't think it's one of my better pieces, but i thought something like this would keep you entertained. comments? critisisms? fears? phobias? trepidations? or just plain general conserns? (haha Wags! i so totally stole that off you!) feedback is always welcome!

ruby...


	18. Jack Doesn't Do Snags

**Author's Note:** sorry it took so long for the update. my grandpa passed away and we had his funeral the other day. it was on of the hardest things i ever had to go through, because my grandpa was the one that always encouraged me to write. he always told me that i had a special talent and that i should keep writing, no matter what. well for a while, i didn't know what to write. But the day of the funeral, we went back to my grandma's house after and we found a dog running across the highway. my cousin called him over so he wouldn't get hit by a car and we called his owner. it turns out that the owner wanted to get rid of him, so i begged my dad to let me keep him. it's my sweet sixteen in 21 days so i used that as an excuse to get him. so Jake was my birthday present. i was playing with him yesterday, and i was watching him run and jump around (he's only a puppy and he's really, really hyper) and this next chapter popped into my head.

i hope you like it and i want to dedicate this story, and all my other stories to my grandpa, Donald Stark... thanks for sending Jake to me Grandpa, he's a real inspiration...

Ruby...

**Chapter Eighteen: Jack Doesn't _Do_ Snags**

Trinity paced uncertainly, hands folded firmly behind her back. She was racking her brain for an answer to the questions floating around in her head. "Where is he?" she finally screamed, waking Will who was asleep on the couch. "He should have been back hours ago!"

"Maybe he ran into a snag." Will rubbed his eyes angrily. He was having the perfect dream, and she woke him from it.

"No. Not Jack. Jack doesn't _do_ snags. He's a weasel that can get out of any situation. You know that, Will." She really was worried. "I lost Jaden and I refuse to lose him."

Trinity grabbed her jacket from the coatrack by the door and hurried down the beach. "Wait! Trinity!" Will struggled to get his shoes on to follow her.

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"Take Mr. Sparrow to my office. We won't want him breaking out of the jail like last time, now would we?" Norrington had a triumphant smirk set on the right side of his face.

"Easy on the goods, hmm?" Jack commented, being forced out the door, "No need to push, I'm walking." It was hard for him to walk, though. His feet had been shackled, as had his hands.

Norrington's office had been just as Jack imagined it, extremely cluttered and tacky. Velveteen? What was this man thinking? He sat in the chair, not liking the feeling of the fabric against his skin, and held out his hands to the Commodore. "We can do without these, mate. Here in the fort, I don't think I could get out."

"That isn't going to work, Sparrow."

"Bugger. Here I thought you were as dumb as you look."

"If I were you, I wouldn't throw insults around."

Jack made himself as comfortable as he could get. He slouched in the chair, crossed his legs, and placed them squarely on Norrington's oversized desk. "Going to be hung anyway, right? Might as well get in as many annoying insults as I can, savvy?"

"You're impudence will only get you to the noose faster." Norrington growled, shoving Jack's feet off his desk. Jack, even though expecting it, got knocked out of the chair and onto the Persian rug.

Staring at the diamond pattern, Jack wasn't sure how to get out of this one. The information he held within his head would be no help to him now. Even if he did tell Norrington, the commodore would hang him anyway. Now he would have to trust Trinity. Luckily, he already did.

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Trinity pounded on the door, the door splintering into her hand at the force. One of the Governor's servants answered, welcoming them into the mansion. Trinity searched furiously for Elizabeth, not caring that it was rude.

Elizabeth was in the sitting room with her father. He seemed to be comforting her over something and fussing with a bandage on her arm. Governor Swann looked up. His face was as white as his wig and his eyes were sunken and puffy. "Miss Marie, darling, thank goodness you are alright."

Trinity was surprised when the Governor hugged her. So was everyone else. She let him for a moment, without touching him back, then wiggled from his grasp. "Elizabeth, what happened here? Are you alright?" Will sounded as concerned as Trinity had been earlier.

"I'm fine..."

"No she's not!" The Governor announced, some color flooding back into his face. He was now a light shade of pink. "That pirate broke into her room. He was brutal with her to get to me. I got a note from the pirate saying to meet him at your house. No doubt he wanted to steal from me while I was away."

"What happened to him?" Although the Governor had yet to mention his name, Trinity knew that he was talking about Jack. After all, what were the chances that two pirates had tried to break into the mansion to secretly talk to the Governor to try to bribe him out of money?

"Commodore Norrington was here. I had forgotten I had invited him over for dinner that night. Luckily he was there, or I don't know what might have happened."

Trinity's heart dropped down into her stomach. Norrington had warned Trinity to keep Jack in line or else he was going to the gallows...and she might be going with him. "Where is he? Did they jail him?"

"No, the Commodore wanted to be sure Jack couldn't escape so they took him to the fort. He's in Norrington's office." Elizabeth said in nearly whisper. Her father gave her a grave look. "I mean Commodore... Norrington."

A jail, now that was easy to break out of. Trinity had managed to do that many times before, but an official's office was a different story. Especially if said official was in the office with Jack. "Right." she sighed, unsure of what to do now. That was a first for her.

"Now William, I know you consider that riff-raff a 'friend', but hopefully now you will reconsider."

Will stared at his future father-in-law. "Of course. But I think I will have a word with the Commodore about this situation. Miss Marie, would you care to come with me?"

Trinity nodded, still unsure of what Will was doing. "Yes, I think I would like to. I'm curious to know just what in the hell he thought he was doing." The Governor was appalled at such vulgar language, but Trinity dismissed it. Elizabeth stood as well, ready to leave with them.

"Oh no," her father protested, almost pushing her back down into the couch, "Miss Marie may want to go gallivanting about, but you are to go no where near that pirate. Understood?"

Elizabeth was about to protest. Or whine. She usually did both. "Elizabeth, I think your father may be right. If Jack Sparrow hurt you once, he may do it again. Perhaps you should stay here. Or better, why not go for a walk? To the docks maybe?" Trinity didn't like being nice to Elizabeth, after everything that has happened after all, but she couldn't leave Elizabeth here when her child was in just as much danger as her own. Trinity was trying to figure out what Will was doing, but she was sure that they were about to rescue her husband. She was grateful to him for that, so being nice to Elizabeth didn't hurt her as much as she thought it would. "Maybe even to the cliff beside my house. I hear there's a lovely view of passing ships."

Elizabeth nodded in understanding. Trinity and her had once gotten along and from that, Elizabeth understood that Trinity's words usually held another meaning. Now she was telling her to get back to the ship and inform the crew of everything. "I think I just might do that." she smiled, "to clear my head." she added for her father.

The three of them left together, but went their separate ways. Once Elizabeth was out of view, Will grabbed Trinity by her shoulders and held her tight. "Listen, I don't know what's going on with my wife but you have to tell me. Tell me what you are holding over her head and I'll help you save Jack."

"A pirate after all, eh?" Trinity laughed nervously. Will's grip was tightening, his fingertips were digging in to her shoulder blades. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you. I should have told you long ago."

"Well out with it." he refused to let go until he was certain she would tell him.

"Let go, Will. Hurting me will do nothing to your cause. I promise that I will tell you as soon as we save Jack. You have my honor."

"No, now! I'm not sure I can trust your word." He demanded.

Even without the rotating of her shoulders, Trinity was able to reach her gun hidden under her shortened skirt. She cocked and aimed it at his genital area. Feeling the pressure of the pistol against him, Will loosened his grip a little. "Now you listen here, matey. It is my word we shall be trusting, got it? I am not a liar. Well, not most of the time anyway. My word is good for all I say it is, and if you ever want to have other children you will let go and help me save Jack. Are we clear?"

Will gritted his teeth. "Crystal."

"Good, now let's go before his neck makes friends with some rope." Trinity rolled her shoulders when Will let her go. "Next stop, the fort."

"More likely the noose. Next to Jack."

"Well, that too."


	19. Busting Out

**Chapter Nineteen: Busting Out**

It had only taken a few, very tense, moments for Trinity and Will to get to the fort. Upon their arrival, two guards, fully uniformed, stopped them. "What's your purpose for bein 'ere?" One grinned, eyeing the short length of Trinity's skirt.

Trinity straightened up, pushed back her shoulders, and said in most believable gentlewoman voice, "I wish to have a word with Commodore James Norrington. I am a friend of his."

"What about the whelp?" The other sniveled. "Your husband want to see the Commodore, too?"

Trinity glanced at Will, who was making a sour face. Even these people, perfect strangers, were calling him a whelp. "Oh, him? Dear Heavens, no! He is not my husband." Trinity leaned in to the guards and lowered her volume, "Eunuch." she whispered.

The men stepped back with a pained expression flashing across their semi-dirty faces. "Did it hurt real bad?"

Will was confused, seeing as how he hadn't heard what Trinity had said. "Did what hurt?"

"You know..." and one of the guards made a scissors gesture.

Will cocked his head, utterly oblivious. "He was only my escort, gentlemen." Trinity interrupted, trying her best to stifle a laugh. "It is only me that wishes to see the Commodore." Trinity turned to Will. "Perhaps you could go along side, wait for me by the Commodore's office. That way when I'm done I will know where to find you, and I won't have anyone snooping on our conversation through the window."

Trinity winked, subtly. Will understood and left her side, heading out on his won mission.

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Norrington was pacing his office for no particular reason. He had a bad feeling about his company (that would be Jack) and he couldn't shake it. "So Sparrow, no incredibly stupid escape plan?"

"Not stupid, mate, well planned." Norrington cocked his head. It was more of a mocking stare, than a confused one. "Do you ever expect what you get from me?"

"To an extent, yes."

"Aye, but the other times I confuse you? Perfect." Jack smiled. Really, he was getting more and more nervous with every passing moment. It had already gotten dark and there had been no sign of Trinity. Would she leave him here to be condemned? No, he could think that. But still...

"Commodore Norrington?" Trinity poked her head into the room. She continued to push the large door open, and the Commodore stopped pacing.

"Miss Marie. What an unexpected surprise." Norrington's mouth curved. "I believe you know Mr. Sparrow?"

"Captain." Trinity stated, knowing that she had to play this safe or she would end up in the noose with Jack.

"You know the terms of our agreement, Miss Marie?"

"Call me Trinity." she sat in the chair next to Jack and crossed her legs promiscuously. "And yes I do. I was wondering though, just what was he thinking?" Jack had never seen Trinity with such a pained expression. Either it was anger or fear; she wore the two moods the same.

Jack noticed that Trinity wasn't looking at him. She was looking past him, towards the window. She stood and walked over to the Commodore. "Miss Marie, just what do you think _you're_ doing?" Norrington's voice cracked like a schoolboy's at Trinity's approach.

"Telling you what Jack has yet to." She smiled, flashing just the right amount of tooth to accentuate her lips.

Jack was furious. Was she really going to flirt with norrington in front of him? Trinity's hand was behind her back and she was gesturing something. She was pointing to the window. Jack looked without turning his head. Will was standing outside the window, gesturing for Jack to open it.

_She that's what the lass be doin... _

Trinity was pressing up to Norrington with her mouth next to his ear. "James, how would you feel about being a father?" she whispered.

Norrington had given all his attention to her. "Wh...what!"

"What would you do if I told you you were a father? Would you be willing to let little old me go?" Trinity had so much practice at this, it was like a second language to her. Her foot raised of the ground as she kissed the side of Norrington's neck. Inside, Trinity was screaming with disgust.

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Meanwhile, Jack slipped out of the window with Will's help. "Let's go, Jack. Elizabeth's already told the crew that we need to leave." Will panicked.

"Not without me girl, mate." Jack tried to free himself from his bonds, but couldn't.

"She said she'd meat us there. I wouldn't worry about her, Jack."

"I don't worry about her. I'm worried about him."

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"Miss Marie, I don't think this is acceptable to..."

"What? You can't talk about it with a gentlewoman?" Trinity stood back, thinking about her next move. "You don't want to talk about how you and Elizabeth Turner had a one-night-stand before her wedding? About how you got her pregnant and almost ruined young William's life?"

"Now Miss Marie, that is not expected from a woman like yourself."

"Then how about the other side of me? The pirate side." Trinity took out her pistol from under her skirt and aimed it at his head. "One word from you and I'll be forced to use it."

"Miss Marie..."

"Mrs. Sparrow, savvy?"

Norrington's face lit up with disappointment. Not from Trinity, from himself. He should have known that she was somehow involved in this. Trinity had always dressed differently. Quite scandalous for these times. He had always dismissed it, until now.

Trinity, pistol still aimed at Norrington, climbed out the window after her husband and Will. Outside, she stashed it back under her skirt, then ran as fast as she could. She heard Norrington scream to his men, telling them to go after her.

They were chasing her, and all she had was a pistol with only a few shots. If she had a cutlass, she wouldn't have been as scared, even though she wasn't as good as she should have been at it. It was pointless to think about that, now she was running for her life, and running in a skirt and boots wasn't as easy as it seemed. It would take a miracle to get out of this one, but luckily, Trinity knew the exact miracle.

The cliff was a few yards away. From the angle she had come, she could see the Pearl, which was waiting for her. She started screaming, but that didn't go as well as planned because she was out of breath from running.

Jack was at the wheel. He heard Trinity screaming and knew that she was about to do something incredibly stupid. He set sail, very slowly so not to run into the rock's or coral. "What're you doing?" Elizabeth yelled from the deck. "We can't leave her!"

"We're not!" Jack was angered by that comment. Of course he wasn't going to leave her here, that would be a death sentence. "Just watch." Trinity ran to the cliff and, not looking where she was, jumped off as far as she could. Trinity had done this before, but last time she had actually jumped into the crow's nest. She tried doing that this time, but missed by several feet.

Falling through the air, Trinity groped around for anything to catch herself. She finally managed to catch the netting that led up to the crow's nest, but the force of her fall was too great. She couldn't hold on. She tried again, but came up empty. In another second, she landed hard (insert LOUD thudding sound here) on the deck.

**Author Note:**

okay, i thought i needed an action chapter in here. i've decided that the numerous amounts of subplots in this story are going to end in the next chapter. YES, i am going to tell Will that Avery is not his... Kydd's storyline and the main plot will continue, however, because i wish it to be so...lol.

hope you guys liked this. please review... i hate to sound needy but i really really like reading reviews. i have to go to danville today to go see my knee doctor (to see if i can get cleared before snowboarding season rolls around!) and i'd be really excited to see a lot of reviews when i get back.

Ruby...


	20. A Stab in the Back

**Author's note:**

just a short filler chapter. it's relevant...trust me. HAPPY READING!

Ruby...

oh, and p.s.: i've given it some thought and, after considering the reviews (or lack there of) this story will be the end of the Trinity/Jack stories. i'm hoping to give them a proper send off, and i have an ending in mind that will shock you...i hope. maybe, JUST MAYBE, if i get more feedback than my two usual reviewers then i might consider writing another one. i don't, however, think that this will be the end to my POTC fanfic writing. i don't know, i can't see the future.

some of you may not like reviewing...that's cool...but i'm asking for you readers to do it just this once... please, **tell me what's going on in those pretty heads of yours...**

**Chapter Twenty:** **A Stab in the Back**

Jack rushed to her side. "You weren't supposed to do that!" he scolded, not seeing that Trinity was seriously hurt.

She rolled onto her side and began screaming with pain, gripping her shoulder tightly. "OH MY GOD!" Elizabeth screeched. She was the first one to see the blood pouring from the back of Trinity's head.

Jack, without missing a beat, picked her up and took her down below deck. "Where are you going?" Will screamed, not quite sure why he was as upset as he was.

Jack didn't answer. Instead, he continued down the stairs into the galley. There, he placed Trinity on a table and started rummaging through drawers. "Jack?" Elizabeth and Will had followed him.

Jack grabbed a knife and rushed towards his wife. "Move!" He tried to ignore her screaming as he tore open the front part of her dress, then turned her over. He peeled the back of her dress off, so now Trinity was only in her undergarments. They could now all visibly see the bullet hole in Trinity's shoulder blade. She had been shot in her effort to escape.

Jack took the knife in his hands "Give her something to bite on!" He instructed. Will found a towel hanging on a chair and placed it in Trinity's mouth. Then without another moment of thought, Jack thrust the knife into the bullet wound.

It hurt him to hear his wife screaming in so much pain, so much agony. He blamed himself. It was Jack's idea to steal from Elizabeth's father. It was Jack who had gotten caught. It was Jack who was literally stabbing her in the back.

He had gotten the bullet out, but little that would do if the wound got infected. "Get me some liquor."

"What?" Elizabeth was confused. She never had to tend to wounds like this before, and hardly knew what to do. "Do you really think you should be drinking now?" Will shook his head, then left her side in search for some alcohol.

"It's not for me, lass. It's for her." Jack held his wife's hand and rubbed her arm. She had stopped screaming, but was still in quiet a lot of pain.

"Do you really think she should be drinking now?" Elizabeth raised her voice and placed her hands firmly on her hips.

Jack ignored Elizabeth's blunt comments. She clearly was _not_ the pirate her husband was. Will returned with a bottle of rum. "First thing I could find." he gasped.

"Let's hope it works then." Jack repositioned the towel in Trinity's mouth and squeezed her hand tightly. "Now this is going to hurt." He partly closed his eyes and braced himself, turning over the bottle of rum.

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Jaden knew where he was going. He was going to the shore. The little boy always knew where the shoreline was. It was like it called to him.

Captain had told his stories like that before. How the sea would call him to it. Captain used to describe it as a woman's voice, softly whispering his name over and over again. He said that as the years past, that voice sounded more and more like his mother's. He could hear his mother now, calling him to the sea.

"Jaden," Avery stopped. She didn't whine, like she usually did. Now her voice was filled with disappointment and fear. Jaden pitied his companion just then. "I miss my mommy." she frowned.

Jaden stood and stared at the girl's tears for a moment. He didn't know how to respond to that. One, he was only seven. And two, he had never witnessed his mother cry. Avery dropped to the ground in utter despair. Jaden hurried and knelt down next to her. "I'll make sure you see your mommy again, Avery."

"Okay." Her voice was crippling to Jaden. For once, he had actually thought about not seeing his parents again. There was a rustling in the bushes. Kydd, who Jaden recognized because of his big black hat, pushed his way through the brush.

Jaden stood up in front of Avery. "Go away, Kydd!" He screamed.

Kydd shushed them, seeing as how they weren't too far away from the town. "You aren't safe out here."

"And we're safe with you?"

Kydd tried to grab Jaden's arm, but he moved away. Picking up Avery off the ground, Jaden turned and began walking away. Kydd followed them, seeing that they were making their way to the docks.


	21. Ruining Lives

_some action...now some drama. closing in on the end! what do you think? read AND review please. i need to know what you're thinking so i can continue to entertain you. Hope you all enjoy!_

_Ruby D._

**Chapter Twenty One:** **Ruining Lives**

The next couple of days were blurry, at best. Trinity had been dwindling in and out of consciousness, fighting off the aches and pains of her body. The bullet wound brought on periodic bursts of agony and most of the use of her arm was lost temporarily. Also, the impact of her landing had bruised her spine.

She woke up one morning with another symptom: a splitting headache. It was a emotional pain, rather than physical. With all her time confined to her cabin, Trinity had been racking her brain with the hardest decision she would ever have to make.

Trinity noticed Jack snoring loudly. He was lying next to her, his arms wrapped protectively around her. She had never been so close to him, yet felt so far away. Not even when she thought he was dead.

She couldn't lay here anymore. Trinity pushed the covers off her, and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Slowly, she stood on her feet. It was a bit shaky at first, because she hadn't used them much after the incident, but she steadied herself. She hadn't bothered to change out of her blood-stained undergarments, mostly because she wasn't awake long enough to do so, so she didn't want to hassle with it now. Barefoot, Trinity walked across the cabin and out on to the deck.

It was dark outside, but some men had been working by the light of some oil lamps. The wind cut through her cloths like a sword, but Trinity didn't dare take the chance of going back into that cabin. It was a cursed place to her now that she thought about all that had happened. She didn't ever want to go back.

Her hair fell from it's place on her head as the wind picked up speed. She didn't bother to tie it up again, and watched it sway about her face. She felt like the old pirate she used to be, carefree and curiously questionable. If only she had her son...

"Trinity?" Will had come out of his cabin.

"William. It's late. Why aren't you sleeping?"

"Why aren't you?"

"I've slept long enough. I never want to sleep again." She sat on the railing and tucked her knees under her good arm.

"So you feel better, then?" Trinity nodded, adding a fake smile. "Well then, I have to ask. You told me that once I helped you..."

"Once you helped me get Jack free...I'd tell you what's been going on. I remember."

"Well?" He sat next to her feet, staring at her like a child waiting for a story. Like Kydd used to stare at her as a child, and how Jaden would stare at her waiting to be tucked into bed.

"Are you really sure you want to know?" She could now see the distress lines plaguing his face. He shot her a look of utter despair. "I won't go back on my word, I promise, but I really think that you should brace yourself for this. It's pretty big news."

Will saw her shiver and, getting up, placed his jacket around her shoulders. "I've been waiting for this ever since that day at your house."

"That was a long time ago." Will nodded, frowning deeply. "Alright, but I wish to say first that no matter how you take this news, Elizabeth is a good woman and a fine wife. I think I have the right to judge that. And I will add that I think I have given her sufficient time to tell you herself, as I believe she should have." Will nodded again, hoping to get on with the conversation. "Avery isn't your rightful daughter, Will. Her last name should be Norrington... not Turner."

All color left Will's face and he looked as though he would have been sick. He slid down the railing, hands placed firmly over his face. Trinity was sure she could hear him crying. She reached out to rub his back and to comfort him. But before any words could come out of either mouth, Jack came bursting through the stained glass door. "What were you thinking! You shouldn't be out here!" He yelled at Trinity. He was tugging on her arm, hurting her shoulder and her back. She crumpled onto the deck, letting out a horse cry of obscenities. She was saying how Will was feeling.

Elizabeth followed suite and came out of her cabin. Her hair was matted and her night cloths were must. "What's all this about?" she yawned, examining the situation.

Will stood from his state and proceeded over to her side. "Nothing. Trinity had woken up is all." His voice was as normal as ever, and he even added a kiss on her cheek. "Let's go back to bed, shall we?"

Jack, not knowing how to apologize, helped Trinity get to her feet once again. "Jack, I have to talk to you about something. It's important."

"Then let's continue this in the cabin..." But Trinity had not followed him when he turned.

"No, Jack. I don't want to go back in there."

"Where would you like to go?"

"Anywhere but there."

Jack decided that the best place to go would be the armory, below deck. It was out of the elements and away from their cabin and the galley, for that matter. Jack produced two chairs from some other room and helped Trinity ease herself into one. "What would this be about?"

"I just had to ruin someone's life, Jack. I don't want to do it again."

Jack crossed his arms and legs, waiting for her to elaborate. By the look on his face, he clearly did not know what was going on. "Go on."

"I've had nothing else to do but think for the last few days. Thinking about something that I would rather not think about."

"What were you thinking about?" This conversation was very repetitive.

"Jaden, you, and I. What's going to happen after this, Jack? Can you tell me? Are we going to get Jaden back? Are we ever going to see our little boy again? We don't have the money, and we don't have a plan. I don't like not having a plan, Jack, I just don't!" She began violently shaking and her headache rushed back to its place right above her neck.

Jack lunged towards his wife, seeing that her walls were beginning to break down. He cradled her head in his arms and brushed his fingers through her hair. His touch was always so comforting to Trinity before, but now it did nothing. "Of course we're going to get him back!"

"You can't know that! You can only hope, and now it seems hopeless." Trinity tried nudging him away. She didn't want him to touch her. "I can tell you what's going to happen if we do get Jaden back. We're leaving."

"And where would we be going, then?"

"Not _we_ as in the three of us, Jack. _We_ as in Jaden and I. If we get our son back, he and I are going back to England. Nothing bad ever happened to me in England. His future can't be ruined in England. " Jack wasn't surprised. He knew the whole ordeal had scared his wife out of her mind, and she was now showing it. "And I have to ask..."

"What?" Jack intervened when she didn't finish.

Tears were staining steaks down her cheeks. She wasn't _crying_... just relieving some stress that had been placed upon her. "I have to ask... that you don't come."

Jack stared at her with his mouth gapping open. "You don't mean that."

"I do! I wish I didn't, but I do. Jack, I love you so much but I think that..." She rushed to his arms to find comfort, but found none. Jack was backing away from her, arms held in the air as if he was being arrested.

"You don't mean that! You can't! I forbid it!"

That had triggered something in Trinity. She hated being told what to do, and Jack knew better. She was no longer in hysterics. She no longer cared about the pain racking her entire body. "I do mean it, Jack Sparrow! I believe that if..._if _our son lives through this, that he would have a better life without his hum-drum pirate father about!"

"Since when has 'pirate' become a discriminatory word to you? If you haven't forgotten, you're a pirate, too, Trinity Marie!"

Her fists were clenched at her sides and Trinity was boiling over with anger. Jack was full-naming her. Worse, he was using her maiden name. "He never got into anything like this when he was at Port Royal, but you wouldn't know that since you were never there!"

Jack took this as her calling him a bad father. He refused to comment and walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Trinity rushed after him, thinking that the conversation wasn't over yet. It was. Jack had locked the door behind him, leaving Trinity trapped inside.


	22. Jack's Secret

**Chapter Twenty Two: Jack's Secret**

Getting out was easy. All Trinity had to do was take a cutlass from the storage and pry the doors open. Easier said then done with only one good arm, but she managed. Once she had gotten free, Trinity was fuming with rage.

_...How dare he...how DARE he..., _she kept screaming over and over in the confines of her own mind.

But when she saw Jack, holding the wheel with all the strength he could muster, her mood softened. Jack wore all of his anger in his arms and hands, but his face was smeared with disappointment. Not too much unlike Will's, who was slowly swabbing the deck. He stared at one place while the mop swished back and forth...back and forth...back and forth...

Trinity thought better of her decision to confront her husband and turned back to go below deck. Elizabeth caught her arm. "What have you done?!"

"Something you obviously couldn't." She frowned, not attempting to pull away. "I cleaned up after your mess."

"You only succeeded in making it worse! Will would hardly even look at me before. Now he only glances at me, and with pure hatred in his eyes. You did this to me!"

"No. You did this to yourself, Elizabeth. You built lies on top of lies and left that poor boy in the dark. You denied him of his right as a husband and a father. Do not, by any means, blame_ me_ for _your_ mistakes. Now... let go, Elizabeth."

"Not until you make things right." she blubbered. The lack of emotion in Trinity's eyes was unnerving her.

Trinity reached for her pistol, her escape plan, but found nothing. She had completely forgotten she was still in her undergarments. Mr. Gibbs was conveniently strolling by with his flask turned up. Trinity reached for a dagger around his waist and held it to Elizabeth's throat. "Do not look to me to be your scapegoat, Ms. Turner. You made your bed, now you lie in it."

"Filthy pirate." she mumbled, backing away.

"Define pirate."

"One who raids, pillages, plunders, kills, and drinks," Elizabeth scoffed, "And blackmails."

"That is what a pirate _does_. That does not define a pirate. What a pirate _is,_ is pure brilliance. A pirate is someone who had courage, rebellion, and skill. A pirate is someone who can find a loophole in any rule and not get caught. A pirate is someone who takes advantage of another's mistake." Trinity paused, lowered her dagger, and curved her mouth into a smile. "So, therefore..."

"Don't say it." Elizabeth interrupted.

"Pirate." Trinity raised her arms, indicating herself.

"Is there a problem?" Trinity hadn't noticed Jack come up behind her. Elizabeth had taken this chance to storm off, back to her cabin.

"No problem, Captain." The smile was wiped from her face. Jack turned to leave, but Trinity reached out to stop him. "...Jack..."

He turned to her. "What!?"

The annoyance in his voice startled her. "I didn't mean what I said. You're not some hum-drum pirate father. Not like my father. You're Jaden's hero, his everything. You're _my_ everything. Don't you see that?"

"Then why are you leaving me?!" He was glaring at her with such intensity that Trinity had to look away.

"For just that reason. You, literally, are Jaden's hero. He wants to be just like you."

"And that's bad?"

"Yes. Can you honestly say that whenever that little boy asked you for a story, you told him the whole truth?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"One day that boy is going to decide to have adventures just like his hero. He'll go out and do the things that his father told him he did and he's going to run off and get himself killed. Just like..."

"Just like Kydd." Jack finished. In all the emotion and drama, Trinity and Jack both had forgotten about the anger they held towards their former crew member. "I have something to confess." Jack hung his head and turned to the railing. Fir a moment, Trinity thought he was going to jump. "Kydd...isn't...exactly...one hundred percent..."

"Spit it out."

"Dead."

Trinity had gone numb. "What?"

"He came to me one night and told me everything. Everything about he journal and whatnot. He asked for my forgiveness." He looked at Trinity to see if she was going to respond, but her only action was to look at him with her big, full, green eyes. "I couldn't. He pleaded. Told me that the League would kill him if I didn't help him, but I couldn't stand to look at him. So I had him fake his own death to get him out of my hair. He wasn't too keen on the idea, but he did it."

"That can't be true." Jack, unwillingly, nodded. "I wish I could blame this on you...but I can't." Trinity paused and held a hand to her heart. "Do you realize that Kydd could still be with the League and have Jaden and Avery right now? Do you realize how much hatred he showed towards me in that journal? Me and you? I don't even want to think about what could be happening to those children."

"Cap'em! Tortuga dead ahead!" Marty yelled from the crow's nest.

"We'll soon find out." Jack sighed. He continued to bark orders to his men.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

He stretched his legs as far as his sever-year-old body could reach. He figured that if he made larger strides, he could subtly lose Kydd without having to waste energy on running. He didn't know what he would need that energy for.

In his effort to lose his pursuer, though, he hadn't noticed that he had made it to the docks. There were tons of large ships about, but none looking like the Pearl. Kydd did see it though, and drew his cutlass on the two children. "Now you listen here. You'll be coming with me, eh? And I'll make sure 'Ol Green Eyes gets to see her child again, savvy?"

_soooooo...how'd i play this out?? good? bad? in between?_

_Ruby D._

_p.s. Happy sweet sixteen to me in 2...count em...2 whole days!_


	23. Hostage Situation

**Chapter Twenty Three: Hostage Situation**

Trinity took a deep breath, then slowly made her way down the gangplank. She was going to get her child back, even if she had to sacrifice herself to do it. Her heels sank in the mud as she stepped off the dock and into Tortuga. Jack didn't know she was going, and she would have it no other way. She often operated better without her husband doing something stupid, even though he wasn't aware of it at the time. "And just where do you think you're off to by yourself?" Someone yelled after her.

Trinity froze. For a moment it sounded just like Jack. If it was, she was surely going to be in more trouble then she already was. "I was just, . . ." But it wasn't Jack. Will fell in stride beside her. "Oh, I thought you were Jack."

"I take it that Jack doesn't know what you're doing?"

"Will, I need Jaden back. I can't take it anymore."

Trinity reached for her pistol, but Will grabbed her arm. "There's no need for that. I'm going with you."

Trinity cocked her head in question. She so desperately wanted to ask him why, but didn't think it would be very polite. Usually she didn't care if she was polite or not, but something about Will made her care that he was hurting so obviously. She nodded and continued walking towards the bar she had been that eventful night. In_ The Happy Half_. Ironic, isn't it?

She slowly opened the door, cautious of what she might find. Trinity and Will had been keeping an eye out for the League members since they had arrived, but have yet to see any. There was a reason for that, one that Trinity was about to blindly stumble upon.

When the door of the bar creaked open, it hit something and slammed shut once more. Trinity readied her pistol, Will readied his cutlass. She opened the door once again, this time putting all her weight behind it and slamming it into an object lying on the floor. "Hey! Watch it!"

"Anne Bonny? And... Mary Read? What would you be doing..." But Trinity didn't get a chance to finish her sentence. She looked up to see all of the League members, ever last one of them, on the floor with their hands over their heads. To make it better (sarcastically better, of course) Trinity saw Jack standing on the bar, holding a keg of something under one arm and pointing his pistol at the keg with his other.

"I swear! This is the last keg 'o rum in this establishment! I'll do it! I'll spill it all!"

"Jack! What are you doing!?" Trinity screamed. She threw her pistol on the ground and marched towards her husband. "Do you want to be killed?!"

"This is the only place that gives these scallywags free rum. No more rum... no more fun. See where I'm going with this?"

"No. I don't." Trinity answered sharply, placing her hands on her hips and looking around the room. She may not have understood Jack's method, whatever it was, but it was working. Up to a point, that is.

Someone had grabbed Trinity's tossed gun, and was pointing it at her head with a hold around her neck. "I'd put the pistol down, Sparrow. If you want the wifey to live, that is."

Jack lowered his pistol, then shrugged. "Go ahead and kill her for all I care. She was about to take my child from me anyway. In fact, kill the whelp, too. He has nothing to live for. Less weight for my ship, eh?"

"Jack Sparrow...you weasley little..." Trinity squirmed. She realized the man holding her was a man out to get revenge on her. Henry Morgan.

Jack bent down to her and brushed her cheek with his thumb. Trinity knew when Jack was faking something like this. He had that devilish gleam in his eye. The gleam was absent. "Sticks and stones, Luv." He smiled. The smile was genuine, not planned.

Trinity stopped struggling. She didn't move. All of a sudden, her world came crashing down around her. First her son...now her husband. She had lost everybody she cared for. She suddenly felt that she had no reason to live. Trinity let them drag her outside and around the building, and she stood there are Anne Bonny, Mary Read, Calico Jack Rackham, Henry Morgan, and Bart Roberts tied Will down with something. She wasn't sure what. She didn't really care.

She watched as Morgan had her own gun was raised to her head. Trinity closed her eyes and waited.

...BANG...

Trinity wasn't dead. She was sure. She could still breathe, and nothing hurt. She looked over to Will, who was still struggling against his bonds. She looked to the members, who were looking at each other in confusion.

Morgan fell forwards in a puddle. No bubbles were forming. The rest panicked, taking out their weapons and searching around. Trinity snapped out of her daze and remembered the knife she always kept underneath her skirt. She took it out and cut Will free.

"Green Eyes..." someone whispered out to her. Kydd's head appeared next to the side of the building, smoking gun in hand. "This way. Hurry." The other members were too confused to notice Will and Trinity slip away in the shadows. They followed Kydd to the docks. He started preparing a small row boat upon their arrival. "We need to get out of here. It's not safe. Not safe." he kept mumbling to himself.

Trinity took her knife, jerked Kydd to look at her, and held it to his throat. "Where's Jaden?" she demanded. Kydd was considerably bigger than her, and if he fought she would have a struggle. She didn't care, though. Adrenaline was coursing through her veins, and she knew Will was standing beside her. "Where's my son?" she repeated.

"I don't know. I swear." Kydd pleaded. He really _was_ scared. Of the knife? Of Trinity? Of the League? Maybe all three.

"That's not good enough." She barked. Tears were falling down her cheeks. For the first time in years, Trinity Marie-Sparrow was _actually _crying. "You ruined my life, you bastard! I don't care that you just saved it. You're the reason that I'm in this mess, and I plan on getting even."

"Now Green Eyes..."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Along with this, she swore loudly. "I hate you!"

"Trinity..." Kydd was pleading. Even he began to cry. "Please..."

Without thinking another though, Trinity slid the blade along Kydd's throat and pushed him into the water. She watched as the dark blue water turned a dark crimson, and as Kydd's body bobbed in the water before sinking. She felt accomplished knowing that if Jaden wasn't alive, someone was paying for it.

"How could you!" Jack came running up to her, screaming his lungs out. "No, no, no, no, no... that was incredibly stupid!" He threw himself on the dock and searched for any sign of Kydd. There was none.

"Sparrow!" The gruff voice of Blackbeard echoed throughout Tortuga and everything else seemed silent.

Jack sprang back to his feet. "All hands back to the ship."

Blackbeard caught his shoulder. "Where be my dead man?" He was referring to Kydd.

"Dead...as it where."

"You lying sac of..." Black beard signaled for his men. They pulled out their weapons and began approaching slowly. Smiles perched on their dirt-ridden faces.

"I did not lie. A full minute ago...Kydd was alive. It was not a lie until it became one. So, therefore I was not lying when I said that I knew where Kydd was...in which case I still do...and was not lying." Jack tried to reason.

"ENOUGH!"

"Sorry." Jack was being taken prisoner, as well as Will and Trinity. "But...not lying."

"To the stocks with them." Blackbeard ordered. He walked uncomfortably close to Trinity, then continued, "Tomorrow ye shall be hanged, and your head mounted on my cabin wall." He inhaled deeply, then let out a tremendous, evil laugh. The rest joined in.

All but Trinity, Jack, and Will.

**i had soooo much fun writing this chapter! (dancing) i got to kill Kydd...I got to kill Kydd...(stops) i tried to make it funny and suspensful at the same time...how'd i do with that??**

**i'd like to thank thomthom830 and Mrs Capt Jack Sparrows (i hope i spelled your pen names right! if i goofed...please please forgive me...) for inspiring me for this chapter. **

**hope it was good enough to review on!**

**Ruby D.**


	24. Escape from Tortuga

_seriously guys...what;s going on?? i feel like i'm writing my ass off for you people and i'm not getting any feedback, whatsoever. _

_no disrespect to you guys. i love you all! you are my readers, and for that...i am eternally grateful. but that's just it, isn't it...i don't know if you're **actually **reading or not. i don't mean to be rude, as i am well aware that i was above, but i just really want to know what you think. and my deepest apologies where needed. _

_so...PLEASE...review._

_Ruby._

**Chapter 24:** **Escape from Tortuga**

The stocks were located in the center of Tortuga. They faced outwards so the prisoners couldn't see each other, and that's exactly how Trinity wanted it. "See what you've got us into this time?" Jack commented, desperately trying to scratch his nose. Trinity, instead of responding, stretched her leg and heeled him in the side. "OW! I had that all planned out and..."

"Shut up, Jack!" she sighed, obviously frustrated with the situation. "You were holding a keg of rum hostage, for God's sake. What kind of plan is that?!"

"A damn good one! I was getting Blackbeard's attention. Something I had managed to do, until you did that STUPID thing!"

"What were you doing, Jack?" Will asked, hoping to silence Trinity before she screamed.

"Glad you asked. At least _someone_ appreciates my planning." Jack fought to straighten his spine as much as he could. There was that one itchy spot that he just couldn't reach. He tried flexing his fingers, but gave up on his effort and accepted his un-scratched nose. "I was getting Blackbeard's attention, which _I_ did, so he would come to the pub, which _he_ did. When he got there, I made a proposition with him. I saw Kydd chasing after Jaden and...and..."

"Avery." Will perked.

"Yes... that's it. I drew my sword, and in a very daring voice, told him that he better hand the children over. Well he did, and I told Jaden to take the girl aboard the Pearl. Then I got Kydd to come with me, and I traded."

"Traded?"

"I told Blackbeard that I would give him Kydd in exchange for the children."

"I know what "trade" means, Jack. I mean, why would Blackbeard _want_ to trade?" Will inched. The position they were forced to be in the stocks was very unpleasant.

"Didn't you read the journal?" Jack didn't wait for Will to answer. "Blackbeard wanted to kill Kydd for not getting him his treasure. Long story short."

"So you gave him Kydd for the children?"

"Yes...then I sailed to China where I met this magical sorceress..."

Trinity kicked him again. "Wrong story!" She figured he was probably under the influence of some of that rum.

"Right... where was I? Oh yeah, I let Kydd out of the back to save your hides." Jack now wanted two things: to scratch his nose, and to rub his aching side. "THEN YOU KILLED HIM!"

"Don't yell at me!" She reached to kick him again, seeing as that's all she could do, but Jack moved. Instead, he kicked her. "Ow! Well tell me one thing Mr. My-Covert-Plan-Was-Perfect-Until-Someone-Totally-Uninformed-Ruined-It... if the children were onboard, why didn't you just sail off?"

"Blackbeard would keep coming after us then." Jack suddenly became less angry then before. "Then I could never convince you to stay with me."

Trinity felt a pain in her chest. Her heart was aching for this man, for her husband. "Jack..." But she couldn't bring herself to say anymore to him. She changed her attention to her other stock-mate. "Will, what were _you_ planning on doing? With Elizabeth and all. Did you forgive her?"

"I'm not sure. I was hoping that once I saw Avery again, I would know."

"Well I'm not sure you would, mate. She was a mess when I saw her. I mean the hair and the little dress..."

Trinity was sure Jack was making faces, and was glad that Will couldn't see. She kicked her husband once again, which started a kicking war. Eventually they stopped. All three had lulled themselves into a stupefied state. The stocks were just high enough so you couldn't kneel, but short enough to be forced to bend. That reeked havoc on their backs. With that kind of pain, no one could sleep.

The morning came, and Tortuga was on fire from the night before.

Literally.

"What's going on?" Trinity tried to ignore the pain, while shaking the sleepiness from her head.

"Good 'Ol Norrington showed up and started burning things from the edges inward. What else?" Jack commented. The pain was also horribly affecting his mood.

Trinity struggled to get out of her stock. "He's going to kill us when he finds us, Jack."

"It's morning, Luv. We're dead anyway."

She stopped. He couldn't possibly be thinking that. Not Jack. Not _Captain_ Jack Sparrow. "Goddamit, Jack! I just got Jaden back! I'm not losing him again!" She continued, desperatly trying to straighten her spine. In all her wiggling, Trinity managed to find a loose bolt in her restraints. She continued to twist and distort it until the head piece to the stock fell off. Unfortunately, it was still latched around her head and hands. Jack and will attempted the same, but had no such luck. "My knife." Trinity muttered.

"What about the bloody thing?" Jack sneered, almost accepting his pending doom.

"It's back under my skirt. After I killed Kydd, I but it back under my skirt. But...I ... can't... reach...it..." She tried. She limped over to Jack's head and hands. The weight of the wood was bearing down on her shoulder and was causing her more distress. "Can you reach it?" she asked, bending her knee and holding her thigh to his hand.

He felt around for a moment, trying not to be 'grope-y', then firmly grasped the handle. Trinity moved her thigh up so Jack could slide the blade out of it's holster. Her cut her in the process. Trinity knew it wasn't on purpose, and didn't think it was appropriate to complain so she held her tongue. She, finding great difficulty in the task, took the knife from him and started picking his lock. She managed to, then he helped free her.

"Jack, I'm sorry." She embraced him around the neck. He held her up a bit, to let her know that he was sorry, too. "I thought you would have understood."

"Aye, I did. But _you_ have to understand..."

"Uh...this is all fine and all...but I can see Norrington headed this way and I'm still stuck here." Will spoke.

Trinity and Jack broke apart and began freeing Will. They got out and made a b-line for the docks, careful not to step on ignited objects or charred bodies. Blackbeard's was among the latter. "Wonder who did him in." Jack made a face as he examined the bullet and stab wounds. He silently counted each. Five and twenty-five, respectively and his head had been removed. Yet, Jack had no pity for this man's soul.

"That would be me, Royal Navy Lieutenant Robert Maynard." A man approached them. "And a good friend to Commodore Norrington."

"Well Sparrow, we meet again." Norrington also approached. He had his sword in hand, which Will had noticed first.

"And is shall be our last." Jack smiled.

"I suppose it would. The gallows, you think? Or should I kill you, and the wench, now?"

"Commodore...Lieutenant...I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. Savvy?" Without the knowledge of the two, Jack had picked up Blackbeard's gun. He held it waist-high, and fired at the Commodore, hitting him squarely in the gut. Maynard rushed forward, but Jack had quickly positioned the pistol at his forehead and fired again.

Trinity squealed. No matter how much she loved being a pirate, she hated the shooting. It was so...gruesome. "Let's go." She tugged on her husband's arm. "I want to see Jaden."

Jack nodded, not looking away from the two men he had just killed. "Aye. Let's see our son." he made a point to emphasize the _our_.

They made it back to the Pearl with only minor injuries. Trinity was first onboard. She ran to her son, who had been playing with his toy boat on deck. She cradled him in her arms and held tightly. "Mommy's sorry." She balled. "I'm never letting you go again." Jack walked on deck and saw this feat. "Jaden, you and I are going to take a little trip, okay? We're going to England...to see the king..." She said through sobs.

"Yay! And Captain can come, too!" Trinity started crying harder.

"No, Jaden. I'm afraid I can't come. You see..."

But before Jack could come up with something, Jaden interrupted him. "Captain, I heard it! I heard the sea talk to me! You were right, Captain. It _did_ sound like Mommy! I knew where to go because I heard Mommy calling me..."

Trinity broke away form her son in hysteria and ran to the railing. She fell forward, on her hands and knees, and started gasping for air. She couldn't take this anymore. In that instant, Trinity had made a decision that was going to tear her apart. But she had to do it.

She thought she had to take Jack out of the equation. That wasn't it. She had to take herself out. She knew, in that single moment, she couldn't be a pirate anymore. She knew that Jaden was destined to be.

She knew she had to leave him.

And Jack.


	25. Goodbye

**Chapter Twenty Five: Goodbye**

"Men... and Anamaria," Jack called. He looked around the hopeful faces of his faithful crew. They, too, had been worried for the little boy and girl that were now safely with their parents. Jack had noticed, that the Turner family was no where to be seen. "We set sail for England. Then to Port Royal. Then...we search for our next big payout."

Trinity looked down at her husband from the crow's nest. So many times she had sat up here and felt an overwhelming amount of emotions. This time she was numb. She hugged her knees to her chest and began singing to herself. "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life...not for me." It was sad, and a tad bit pathetic, but it made her feel better somehow. "And really bad eggs..."

She watched as Jaden ran around the deck, pretending to be Jack, barking out orders, waiving his wooden sword in the air. Then Trinity noticed just how alike Jaden and Jack were. He was heading towards the stairs to go below deck, screaming at the top of his lungs. One misstep, and Jaden was flat on his face. He sprang up and walked off like nothing had happened at all. Moments later, she saw Jack do the same thing.

Jaden may have her looks, but he had Jack's spirit.

She climbed down from the crow's nest, days later, with her good arm. By this time, it was dark and Jaden was running out of fuel from so much running. She picked up her son and placed him on her hip then decided to go see Elizabeth. They had some unfinished business to attend to, after all, and she wanted to take care of it before morning. Surely, they would be in some port in England in the morning.

Avery was asleep in their cabin, with Elizabeth watching her nervously. "Elizabeth, can I have a word with you?" She nodded and offered Trinity a chair next to her. Trinity placed Jaden on the bed next to Avery. He immediately curled his small body into a protective shell over hers. Trinity didn't want to even imagine what they must have been through for that to happen."I have to apologize for my behavior. I just... I was doing what's best at the time."

"Telling _my_ husband _my_ secret was bast?" She whispered angrily.

"I was simply doing something you obviously couldn't. The longer you waited, the more Will was going to resent you." Elizabeth paused as tears stained her high cheek bones. "Right?"

"Will stayed in Tortuga." She muttered, barely opening her mouth.

"What?"

"Will stayed in Tortuga!" She said more clearly. "He's gone! He hates me because of you. So if you're here to apologize, forget it. I don't accept your apology. Not now, not ever." She glared at the door, stating that Trinity had worn out her welcome.

Trinity didn't miss a beat, she rushed out of the cabin and up to the wheel. She decided to leave Jaden be until later. Jack was standing there, looking tired and pale. She hurried into her husband's arms. "I don't want you to hate me!" she sobbed.

"I don't. I couldn't." Jack sighed, resting his head on top of hers.

She tilted her head up to look at him. "I know that you've been with many women, and I understand that. I forgive you for that, but I want you to promise me one thing. Promise that you won't forget me."

"I shall think about you every moment of every day." Jack whispered before he lowered his lips to meet hers.

His kiss was soft and his breath was warm. He moved his lips to cover every inch of her face. He kissed her eyelids, then her nose, to her cheeks, and her forehead, back down to her lips. He slowly moved his arms around her waist, and hoisted her into the air. Then, walking carefully, he carried her into their cabin. No, _his_ cabin.

Jack placed her on the bed and straddled her lower extremities. He removed the knife under her skirt and used it to cut her bodice open. "Just like Singapore." Trinity moaned as Jack now had his full weight on top of her. This was it.

This was the last time she would feel a man's weight on her, because she couldn't even think about sleeping with anyone other than Jack.

This was the last time anyone would kiss her as tenderly as this.

This was the last time Trinity would pull off Jack's hat and wear it on her own head.

This was the last time she would make love to the man of her dreams.

The morning came rather fast. Trinity woke up with her arms and legs entangled with Jack's. The ship wasn't moving, she could tell. She got up, got dressed, and got ready to leave. She kissed Jack on the forehead, softly so not to wake him. He let out a groan that sounded like "I love you" then rolled over. Before she left, she would say goodbye to her son. She was wondering whether she should or not, but thought that it would be best to.

Trinity crept into Elizabeth's cabin. Her son was sitting, awake in the chair. Jaden almost screamed at his mother's presence, but Trinity held her finger up and signaled to join her outside.

Trinity got on her knees and pulled the little boy towards her. "Mommy! I can't breathe!" Jaden complained, struggling from her grasp. She loosened a little, then started to cry. This was also a last. It was the last time she would see her son. Words had lost all meaning, so nothing was worth saying. Instead, Trinity stood up, bent over, and kissed her son on the cheek. Long and hard.

She backed away from him, waving slightly. Jaden didn't understand what was going on, but he started crying anyway. "Go back to bed, Baby." She cooed from the start of the gangplank. "Tell your dad...Captain...that mommy loves him. And never forget Jaden, . . . Mommy always loved you."

Anamaria scurried by on the deck. "Goodbye, miss." She mouthed, continuing her duties.

"None of that, Ana." Trinity fought not to rush over and hug her. "As soon as I walk off this gangplank, raise it and set sails to Port Royal."

"Aye, aye."

Trinity turned and made her way to the dock below. She walked inland a few steps, then swung her bag over her shoulder, and turned to watch the Black Pearl sail off into the distance.

Jack was in the crow's nest, watching his wife get smaller, and smaller, and smaller. . . until there was nothing left.

END.

**Author's Note:**

so...what do you think?? did anyone cry?? did anyone even expect it to end like this??

no epilogue this time, although i usually have one. i thought that this was the best way to go. all you reading this ADD ME TO YOUR ALERTS LIST! i got a new POTC story coming up that's going to knock you for a loop. i think so, at least.

this was the last chapter...so please review on this guys. come on...i think it's a common courtesy to at least let me know what you thought about it...

so long for now, my friends.

xRubyDustx


	26. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

_ahoy there, sailors! some of you i haven't heard from in a while, others i speak to often. for the latter, i will state that i am posting almost the same message on all my POTC stories, so just skip this one..._

_I have finally finished my Trin/Jack trilogy (League of Pirates, Family Jewels, and Remeber) and have started work on my newest POTC project. yes, Trin is back...i just couldn't bear to see her go... _

_i call it "On the Wings of A Sparrow", and currently have it posted. if you liked Trinity in any of my fics, check this one out. It's the story of how Jack met Trinity, and the events leading up to the mutiny (pre-COTBP)._

_Hope you decide to read! and review!_

_for those about to rock... (insert your response here)_

_Ruby_


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